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Colorado’s COVID-19 situation is worsening, and a member of the state’s modeling team has said if you want to go back to the carefree days of early summer, it’s time to put on your mask .
Normal activities will become safe again when the vaccination rate is high and the number of new infections is low, said Beth Carlton, associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the Colorado School of Public Health.
“We have to rely on more than vaccines,” she said, noting that although they are very effective in preventing serious illness and death, breakthrough infections will increase when the rate of transmission is high as it is. currently is.
The growth of new cases and hospitalizations has accelerated over the past seven days, meaning the current wave of infections will almost certainly surpass the peak of the fourth wave this spring.
By one measure, this is already the case: 734 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 Monday afternoon, putting this wave behind only spring 2020 and fall 2020, when hundreds died each week.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 10,277 cases during the week ending Sunday, the highest total since late April. It was also a significant jump from the 7,800 cases the previous week.
The increase in cases isn’t just because more people have been tested – the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive is higher than it was last week, and way above it of the state’s 5% target. The higher the positivity rate, the more likely it is that the state will not have a full picture of how many people are actually infected.
Colorado’s Daily Updates do not specify how many infected people have not been vaccinated, although Gov. Jared Polis referred to an “unvaccinated pandemic” in Monday’s statement touting the Food and Beverage decision. United States Drug Administration to fully approve the Pfizer vaccine.
All but six Colorado counties have had enough new cases, relative to their population, to reach the level where the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces. The exceptions were Bent, Conejos, Crowley, Jackson, Otero and Washington counties.
A figure that is moving in the right direction is that of vaccinations, which increased for the fifth consecutive week.
At least 67,000 people received injections during the week ending Saturday – a number that will almost certainly increase as the state finishes counting all the doses that have gone into guns. About two-thirds of eligible Coloradans (and 73% of Denver residents aged 12 and older) are fully immunized.
Nationally, COVID-19 cases reached a level last seen in mid-November, according to the New York Times data tracker. Hospitalizations were higher than they were the last time cases were at this level on Monday, suggesting that the delta variant has dashed hopes that most new infections will be mild once older people are vaccinated.
The South continues to generate new infections, although every state except Missouri has seen an increase in cases over the past two weeks.
Hospitalizations were on the rise in all states, but the numbers varied widely. Florida had about 20 times more hospitalizations for COVID-19 than Vermont after adjusting for population.
Given the extent of the virus’s spread, Carlton said it was essential to get the vaccine if you haven’t already, as well as wearing masks in indoor public spaces and getting tested. if you have symptoms.
“Knowing your infection status can really prevent the spread of the virus,” she said.
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