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An increase in coronavirus cases in one Colorado county has left contact tracers strapped for resources and unable to complete contact tracing for all new cases, according to local health officials.
El Paso County health officials this week warned that a “high volume” of cases could prevent tracers from “completing contact tracing for all positive COVID-19 cases.” Contact tracing efforts in some cases will be left to residents who test positive, officials said.
Health officials in El Paso, Co., warned this week that a “high volume” of cases could prevent tracers from “completing contact tracing for all positive COVID-19 cases.” Contact tracing efforts in some cases will be left to residents who test positive, officials said. (iStock)
El Paso County Public Health has a team of 18 case investigators assigned by the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, and their work approximately 40 Medical Reserve Corps volunteer case investigators complement their work, Michelle Hewitt, a Public health information officer with the county’s public health department, told Fox News in an e-mail.
This team can meet the requirement of 8.7 cases per 100,000 people per day, but the county also has an agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to investigate the cases and contact tracing capability, ”Hewitt said.
“However, this cutting edge team maintained through CDPHE is being used by counties statewide which are also experiencing a concomitant surge; therefore, the state’s ability to provide emergency support is limited and diminishing, ”Hewitt said referring to the state health department.
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El Paso County has a positivity rate of 13.23%, which is well above the rate of 5% or less generally recommended by health officials. Additionally, El Paso County is one of many communities in Colorado that have been placed on the so-called “red zone” list for coronavirus cases, according to a report from the Coronavirus Task Force of the United States. White House.
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“Contact tracing only works when individuals significantly limit the number of people they are with BEFORE knowing they have COVID-19 and are ready to self-isolate and quarantine when they develop symptoms of or are exposed to someone with COVID-19. The rise in infections that we are Current consultations are not due to failed contact tracing, but rather to individuals’ inability to take necessary action to prevent the spread in the first place, “Dr. Leon Kelly, deputy medical director of the county public health department, said in a statement to Fox News.
Meanwhile, Colorado hospitals are expected to experience a staffing shortage as the number of COVID-19 cases rises.
Colorado’s COVID-19 cases have increased in recent weeks. There were approximately 22,000 new cases of the virus reported in the state last week. The increase in cases coincides with the fact that about 24% of Colorado hospitals are expected to experience a staffing shortage over the next week, according to a local report.
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Overall, COVID-19 cases and associated hospitalizations are increasing across the country. Earlier this week, hospitalizations hit a record high in the United States. In some states, hospitals have reached capacity limits. In rural areas and small hospitals, in particular, medical administrators try to find enough nursing help.
Colorado has reported more than 147,000 cases of the new virus to date, with an estimated 2,468 lives lost to COVID-19, according to state health data.
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