DENVER – Colorado officials said Friday the state is in a fourth wave of the pandemic, with more than half of the new cases caused by varieties of concern and increasing number of cases and hospitalizations among people aged 18-50. But the state still plans to transfer control of the switchboard system and restrictions to local provinces within a week.
Government Jared Police said Friday that it is currently a time of great concern for Colorado, with several factors all sticking out head on at once.
As of Friday, approximately 1.2 million people in Colorado have been fully vaccinated and nearly 2 million have received their first dose. A majority of the population of Coloradans who are 50 years and older have now been fully vaccinated and the state has had access to vaccination for anyone over the age of 16, with more vaccination in the coming weeks.
At the same time, Colorado reported nearly 2,000 COVID-19 cases on Friday, including more than 1,500 new cases, 69 new hospitalizations and an average seven-day positivity rate of 5.65%, which is still climbing. There were also 454 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients.
The state will hand over local control of the COVID-19 disk system and business restrictions to provinces in Colorado on April 16, as the state also sees the varieties of concern increase in numbers.
Police and officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment stressed that they believe this will be the fourth and final wave of the pandemic, but said its severity will be left to Coloradans and whether they can keep up with ‘ a few more weeks to wear masks inside and around others, not to get along with many others, and to follow the steps that have now been drilled in the minds of residents here for 14 months.
Colorado officials say the state is now in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 case
“It’s a little different,” Polis said of this current wave. He and CDPHE state epidemiologist Dr Rachel Herlihy explained that this wave is now younger Colorado dancers of 18-50 who have mostly not been able to enter for the past few weeks to be vaccinated.
As people 50 and older, and especially 70 and older, are much more likely to die from COVID-19 complications and have been vaccinated in greater numbers than younger people, officials expect this wave to include fewer deaths and hospitalizations.
But they continued to warn that people of all ages could have fatal or serious long-term outcomes caused by the virus, especially as more variants are considered more communicable and possibly more intense, moving through Colorado.
Herlihy said the state has now identified 12 cases of the P.1 variant currently plaguing Brazil in the provinces of Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield and Denver. The CDPHE announced earlier this week that two cases of the variant had been identified in Boulder County.
She said scientists believe there were different varieties in Colorado, including one person who traveled internationally.
Colorado now has nearly 1,500 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the UK, which was part of what led to the sharp increase in cases and hospitalizations in Michigan, and is now the most common variant in the USA.
There are two dozen cases of the South African variant B.1.351 and almost 500 cases of the California variant, called B.1.427 or B.1.429.
As such, Herlihy said, it is likely that Coloradans who are now contracting COVID-19 are infected with a variety strain.
She presented data showing the effect of the vaccine on older populations versus the age groups who until recently were even less likely to receive the vaccine: cases and hospitalizations among people aged 50 and older have stagnated or are declining, while cases and hospitalizations among people 18-49 gradually climbed.
“This is the good news here,” Herlihy said, adding that until cases begin to decline among all age groups, people should still follow the COVID-19 protection protocols.
Polis encouraged everyone to be vaccinated as soon as possible and to live in the meantime as in February and March to try to reduce the number of cases and hospitalization, which now includes more young people, than in the previous periods of the pandemic.
But this fourth wave is taking place in conjunction with the April 16 move to put the liaison system in the hands of local governments, which, according to Police on Friday, are ‘able to better adapt their resources’ and communicate with local people. He said the state would continue to work closely with local governments to adjust their plans, and he insisted that local coordination be done.
Officials in Denver said they are working with other counties in the metro area to develop a plan. The Tri-County Department of Health said Friday it would likely finalize a definitive new public health order by Friday night, while Jefferson County Public Health said it would have a plan early next week.
The latter two health departments have both said they will hold some restrictions until at least May.
“We are confident that our local public health institutions, cities and provinces will continue to be the most effective messengers,” Polis said.
The governor added that he believes the end of the ski season will help the lower numbers in Colorado counties with ski areas, as the ski season will end in many resorts over the next few weeks. But he said there was greater concern about rising levels in the Denver and Colorado Springs metropolitan areas.
‘This wave is different from other waves. We have the most vulnerable Coloradans that are successfully protected. This means that the ratio of deaths to the incidence of diseases will be lower. That does not mean that we will not lose Coloradans anymore, ‘said Polis. “… And that’s why it’s important. If you have not been vaccinated yet, it is important to wear your masks, be outdoors if you need to see others until you get the chance to be vaccinated. And please be vaccinated in the next few weeks. ”