New cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 are still falling in Colorado, suggesting that the state can emerge from the pandemic without another wave of deaths if people can sustain the precautions a little longer.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports that 433 people have been admitted to the hospital since Monday afternoon with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19. New cases were at their lowest level since the first week of October, with 6,227 recorded in the week ending Sunday.
Public health experts have compared the situation on an old-fashioned scale, with vaccinations and precautions such as wearing masks on the one hand, and more contagious versions of the virus on the other.
No one really knows how wide the new variant is in Colorado, but the fact that things are still declining indicates that other factors are weighing it down at least for now, said dr. Jon Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, said. The Department of Health has confirmed 86 cases of COVID-19 caused by more contagious variants.
“The good news is that the curve is still going down,” he said. “I think we can probably give a lot of credit to Coloradans.”
The state’s liaison framework changed on February 6, and so far the increasing capacity in enterprises has not caused more distribution throughout the country. This can still change, and the virus has spread more widely in some mountain villages.
“Overall, we continue to do OK,” Samet said. “We must keep up with the measures that everyone is tired of.”
On Monday afternoon, the state reported that 412,839 people received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 388,490 received both shots. The rate of vaccinations slowed last week, perhaps because some sites closed due to extreme cold.
The vast majority of doses went into arms at the sites along the Front Range, but some small provinces are leading the way after adapting to the population. San Juan County, with a population of 728 residents according to the latest census estimates, gave 501 shots, or about 69 per 100 people. However, it is possible that not all the people were provincial residents.
On the front row, the rates look less impressive. Broomfield County is the front, with 26 shots fired for every 100 people, and Jefferson County is not far behind, with about 24 per 100 people.
Denver fired about 21 shots per 100 people. The provinces of El Paso and Adams bring up the back of the Front Range, with about 16 shots per 100 people.
Provinces with fewer people over 65 are likely to lag behind those with older populations, as fewer people are eligible. Rural areas may also have more residents who are eligible for their jobs, as hospitals and school districts are often important employers in small communities.
Since March, 421,294 people in Colorado have tested positive for the virus, and 23,183 have been hospitalized. The state reported 5893 coronavirus-related deaths.
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