DENVER — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is proposing an update in the COVID-19 dial system, which it's been using to balance COVID-19 containment and the need for guidance during the pandemic.
The proposed update — called Dial 2.0 — would have an impact on business operations and daily life for Coloradans.
As part of the proposed change, dial updates would be based on how many people are infected with COVID-19 coupled with the number of people who have been vaccinated. These updates are currently based on 14-day time periods. Under the new proposal, it would change to seven-day time periods.
Another potential update would include a smaller percentage of Coloradans needing to test positive for COVID-19 in order for a county to move to Level Yellow or Level Orange.
In counties with less than 20,000 people, the CDPHE would have the ability to determine what level they feel is suitable based on positivity rates.
In a press conference Monday morning, Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer with the CDPHE, said these changes make sense when you look at the lifespan of a pandemic..
“Now, we’re in a place where healthcare workers and our most vulnerable who are most likely to die or be hospitalized are becoming vaccinated," he said. "And so, it’s a different place than six months ago, when the dial was built in partnership with communities."
The CDPHE is looking at the prevalence of disease in a community, its positivity rate and its hospitalizations.
“These different things may have a different role for the next generation of the dial, which is absolutely what we should be doing given we’re in a different place in the pandemic," France said.
The CDPHE is giving Coloradans the opportunity to comment on these proposed updates.
You can submit your comments and feedback on these changes by clicking here and filling out a Google form.
