More than 53,000 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Colorado as of Sunday evening across Colorado, and more than 1,750 died from the new respiratory disease. Here are the latest updates from COVID-19 across the state.
READ MORE: List of Colorado businesses that are open
Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Below, we're updating this blog with the latest information regarding COVID-19 in Colorado.
Latest updates:
Sunday, Aug. 23
7:20 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
Here is the latest data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE):
55,143 cases (+260)
6,841 hospitalized (+10)
63 counties (+0)
668,994 people tested (+5,213)
938,596 test encounters (+8,444)
1,918 deaths among cases (+0)
1,815 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
571 outbreaks (+1)
6:15 p.m. | COVID-19 case reported at Sand Creek Elementary School
Paula Hans, Douglas County School District Public Information Officer, said one person in the 6th grade cohort at Sand Creek Elementary School tested positive for COVID-19. The person is in isolation. She could not confirm if the person was a student or staff member.
All 6th grade students and teachers will quarantine for 14 days and will do remote learning, Hans said. They will not return to school until after Labor Day.
The school has been thoroughly cleaned.
All other grades will return to the school as normal on Monday, Aug. 24, Hans said. In accordance with the Tri-County Health Department policy, siblings of 6th graders can still go to school unless they show symptoms.
Saturday, Aug. 22
4:10 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
Colorado saw another 11,000+ tests reported over the past 24 hours, with the positivity rate falling again and no deaths due to COVID-19 reported. Here is the latest data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE):
54,883 cases (+297)
6,831 hospitalized (+23)
63 counties (+0)
663,781 people tested (+5,929)
930,152 test encounters (+11,226)
1,918 deaths among cases (+8)
1,815 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
570 outbreaks (+3)
The latest hospital data shows 258 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 20 more than Friday, with 80% of state hospitals reporting and 13 patients discharged or transferred within the past 24 hours. Friday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was down to 2.53%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.
Friday, Aug. 21
10:19 p.m. | Positive COVID-19 case reported at Burlington Middle School
A positive case of COVID-19 has been reported by the Burlington School District at Burlington Middle School, school officials said in a letter posted on the district's website.
The letter does not provide specifics on whether the person who tested positive was a student or staff member, but says that person is quarantined at home until they are no longer infectious and asks that people who were close to that person stay home for 14 days.
"Because it is impossible to assess all interactions in a classroom and because of the length of time which classes spend together, all classroom members are considered close contacts," the letter reads.
The letter goes on to state that, "Your child can return to school and normal activities on Tuesday, September 8, 2020."
Students at Burlington Elementary returned to the classroom for in-person learning this past Monday.
6:06 p.m. | Douglas County Schools pushing back eLearning start for high schoolers by one week
The Douglas County School District says it is pushing back the first day for 100% eLearnig for high school students only from Monday, Aug. 24 to Monday Aug. 31.
"Getting our eLearning platform up and running in a short period of time has been challenging, but even more so at the high school level," states a letter sent to parents Friday. "As a result, we have decided to delay the first day of school for our high school eLearning students by one week."
Elementary and middle school students and staff will begin as scheduled on Monday, August 24.
"We recognize this delay may be frustrating, but we are committed to ensuring our high school eLearners have the best teachers possible, combined with access to the courses they need to stay on track."
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
While Colorado's case count went up again Friday with more than 350 cases reported from Thursday into Friday, the state saw no new deaths due to COVID-19. Here's the latest data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
54,586 cases (+356)
6,808 hospitalized (+11)
63 counties (+0)
657,852 people tested (+6,593)
918,926 test encounters (+12,233)
1,910 deaths among cases (+7)
1,815 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
567 outbreaks (+1)
The latest hospital data shows 238 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – no change from Thursday. Thursday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 2.92%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.
Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.
3 p.m. | More student, teacher quarantines in various Colorado districts
Friday brought more quarantined students and teachers at schools across Colorado after positive COVID-19 tests.
At Windsor Middle School, 11 staffers and 37 students identified as close contacts of a student who tested positive for COVID-19 have been quarantined and placed in off-campus learning settings until Sept. 10.
Weld RE-4 Schools said that for the future, a child or staffer must stay home until they receive test results if they are still awaiting them.
The Douglas County School District sent a letter home to families of Chaparral High School students on Thursday from the Tri-County Health Department saying a person from a recent “Senior Sunrise” event Aug. 12 at Challenger Regional Park, which was not organized by the school, tested positive for COVID-19.
The district said Monday would be “proceeding as scheduled at this time.”
And in the Westminster Public Schools district, a teacher at Josephine Hodgkins Leadership Academy tested positive for COVID-19, the district was notified Friday.
The teacher took a COVID-19 test on Wednesday, attended school on Thursday, and COVIDcheck Colorado notified the district of the positive test on Friday.
The district said that the teacher, along with three other level 6/7. teachers who had contact with that educator, as well as the students in contact with them on Thursday were being moved to remote learning for the next 14 days. All other students will attend school in person.
The district said that the quarantine period will apply to 109 students from sixth and seventh grade. It said that COVIDcheck advises people to self-quarantine until they have received their test results but that the teacher did not. The district officers staff testing twice a month through COVIDcheck.
12:35 p.m. | Polis extends last call to 11 p.m. beginning Saturday
Gov. Polis said last call will be moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. beginning Saturday night. He said he is hopeful that within a month, that time can be pushed to midnight. Click here to read the full story.
9:10 a.m. | Weld RE-4 teachers, students test positive for COVID-19
In a message to the Weld RE-4 community, the school district said that due to a student's positive COVID-19 diagnosis, 11 staffers and 37 students at Windsor Middle School are in quarantine since they came in close contact with the infected student. They will participate in off-campus learning until Sept. 10.
8:10 a.m. | July unemployment rate
According to the survey of households, Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 7.4% in July from 10.6%, as revised, in June, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
During the same period, the national unemployment rate declined nine-tenths of a percentage point to 10.2%.
Colorado’s labor force decreased by 97,500 in July to 3,079,600. The labor force participation rate fell to 66.6 percent, identical to May’s rate, CDLE reported.
The counties with the highest unemployment rates in July were:
- Gilpin (12.0%)
- Summit (10.1%)
- Huerfano (9.9%)
- Pitkin (9.4%)
- Eagle (9.4%)
County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted and are directly comparable to Colorado’s July unadjusted rate of 7.4%.
CDLE said employers in Colorado added 6,200 nonfarm payroll jobs from June to July for a total of 2,605,300 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased 23,400 and government declined by 17,200.
Thursday, Aug. 20
4:10 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
The positivity rate for COVID-19 in Colorado went up slightly again in Thursday’s reported data, and 15 more deaths due to COVID-19 were reported, according to the latest data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE):
54,230 cases (+329)
6,797 hospitalized (+13)
63 counties (+0)
651,259 people tested (+6,080)
906,693 test encounters (+11,486)
1,903 deaths among cases (+3)
1,815 deaths due to COVID-19 (+15)
566 outbreaks (+5)
The latest hospital data shows 238 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 24 fewer than Wednesday, with 30 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 85% of state hospitals reporting. Wednesday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 3.03%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.
3:14 p.m. | Colorado to begin publishing demographic data of patients hospitalized due to coronavirus
Colorado will begin publishing demographic data of patients who have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in an effort to eradicate longstanding inequalities that disproportionately affect underserved communities, the CDPHE said Thursday.
State health officials said the data – from March 1 through Aug. 15 – illustrates not only how serious the effects of the disease can be, but also confirms that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic populations in Colorado.
“This hospitalization data is another example of how historical inequities negatively impact health outcomes. That fact is especially apparent during emergencies like the pandemic,” said CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker-Ryan.
7:35 a.m. | State Labor Department reports 6,942 regular initial UI claims for last week
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported that 6,942 regular initial unemployment claims were filed the week ending Aug. 15. There were also 11,809 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed for the same week. Since mid-March, a total of 530,332 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed and a grand total of 713,241 claims, including federal PUA benefits.
For the week ending Aug. 8, a combined total of 288,075 continued claims were filed, including 196,480 from regular UI, 74,592 from PUA, and 17,003 from Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
The July employment situation report will be released Friday at 8 a.m.
6:35 a.m. | Weekly unemployment claims tick back over 1 million
A week after initial claims for unemployment benefits fell below 1 million per week for the first time in five months, claims again jumped over the 1 million threshold for the week ending on Aug. 15.
According to new figures released by the Department of Labor Thursday, 1.1 million people filed initial claims for unemployment last week, an increase of about 200,000 claims over the previous week.
Wednesday, Aug. 19
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
Colorado saw 270 new COVID-19 cases and 12 more deaths due to COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE):
53,901 cases (+270)
6,784 hospitalized (+3)
63 counties (+0)
645,170 people tested (+4,920)
895,207 test encounters (+7,348)
1,900 deaths among cases (+1)
1,800 deaths due to COVID-19 (+12)
561 outbreaks (+9)
The latest hospital data shows 262 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 17 more than Monday, with 17 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 85% of state hospitals reporting. Tuesday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 2.71%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.
12:07 p.m. | Fort Lupton HS sends all students home for 2 weeks after 2 positive COVID-19 tests
All Fort Lupton High School students will now take remote classes for two weeks after students in two cohorts tested positive for COVID-19, the school announced Wednesday.
The school on Wednesday initially said only one student in one cohort had tested positive, and that all students in that cohort were dismissed from school and sent home.
Later Wednesday, the school learned of a student testing positive in the other cohort at the school. The school was contact tracing to determine who the students had been in contact with.
Now all students at the school will be in remote learning until Sept. 8, following Labor Day.
Click here to read the full story.
Tuesday, Aug. 18
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
Ten more people died from COVID-19 in Colorado from Monday into Tuesday, according to the latest figures from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
53,631 cases (+261)
6,781 hospitalizations (+42)
63 counties (+0)
640,250 tested (+4,169)
887,859 test encounters (+6,607)
1,899 deaths among cases (+3)
1,788 deaths due to COVID-19 (+10)
552 outbreaks (+7)
The latest hospital data shows 245 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 5 more than Monday with 17 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 85% of state hospitals reporting. Monday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 2.44%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.
Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.
2:15 p.m. | Lamar Middle School 6th graders move to online classes for 2 weeks after close contact shows symptoms
Lamar Middle School sixth graders will move to online only classes for the next two weeks and give the same option to all seventh- and eighth-grade students after a person at the school who is a close contact of a person positive with COVID-19 started showing symptoms.
Lamar RE-2 district officials sent notice to students and parents on Monday evening – one week after classes started back up on Aug. 10 – with the middle school on a hybrid option. Lamar is in Prowers County in southeastern Colorado – a county which had just 69 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March as of Tuesday.
“Today, we received notification that a close contact of a positive person has COVID-19 symptoms at Lamar Middle School. In accordance with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Colorado Department of Education (CDE), we must quarantine all staff and students this child has been in contact with,” District Superintendent Dave Tecklenburg wrote in the letter.
Tecklenburg wrote that while he was unable to share more details to protect the privacy of the person, the district was working with county health officials.
Click here to read the full story.
8:15 a.m. | Polis to provide update on COVID-19 and wildfires today
Gov. Jared Polis will provide an update on the state's response to COVID-19 and current wildfires today at 2:30 p.m. Colorado Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Gibbs, Colorado Department of Public Safety Director Stan Hilkey, and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eric France will also speak.
Monday, Aug. 17
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado
53,370 cases (+194)
6,739 hospitalizations (+4)
63 counties (+0)
636,081 tested (+5,073)
881,252 test encounters (+8,201)
1,896 deaths among cases (+0)
1,778 deaths due to COVID-19 (+10)
545 outbreaks (+3)
The latest hospital data shows 240 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – with 23 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 78% of state hospitals reporting. Sunday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 2.18%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.
Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.
3:30 p.m. | 155 students quarantined at Colorado College after new student on campus tests positive for COVID-19
A total of 155 students have been quarantined on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs after a new student who arrived on the campus on Aug. 14 tested positive for COVID-19. That individual is now isolated and receiving care.
Colorado College officials said the student did not follow the school's enhanced social distancing protocols. As a result, multiple people in Loomis Hall were exposed to the student.
Click here for the COVID-19 blog from Aug.10 - Aug. 16, 2020.
