Over 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 in El Paso County in 24 hours

EL PASO COUNTY, Colorado (KRDO) – The Colorado Department of Public Health on Thursday announced 1,026 new COVID-19 cases and 17 new COVID-related deaths in El Paso County.

The number of COVID-19 cases has been rising steadily in El Paso County since October, when 145 cases exceeded the highest reported cases, reaching 139 cases in July.

With the county having recorded more than 1,000 cases, this is the worst day of reported cases in El Paso County since the start of the pandemic.

The two-week incident rate in El Paso County is 1,226. The county is currently on COVID-19 red level restrictions.

County officials were not available for comment on Thursday but expect to discuss the situation on Friday.

Health officials said it was too early to know whether this record spike was the result of a lack of following recommendations to control the spread of the virus over Thanksgiving weekend, but officials feared and warned the public that it could happen.

Many Colorado Springs residents who spoke to KRDO NewsChannel 13 Thursday night said they followed the recommendations, but weren’t surprised that so many didn’t.

“I think it will get worse from here, unfortunately,” said Ashley Frazier. “But I hope people can sit down for a bit and stay inside. I don’t want to be part of it. The pandemic is crazy and people are dying. Everyone needs to take better precautions.

“I still take (the virus) seriously,” said Angelo Penny. “I had a friend who (passed away) in July, 17 days after he (he) contracted it. So this is really serious for me.”

The peak is of particular concern for Mark Heinacke, who suffers from hypertension and is over 65 years old.

“How many cases will need to be referred to the hospital?” He asked. “How will this affect hospitals that are already overwhelmed? That’s what worries me; not so much that I get sick but other people are sick.”

Opinions are divided as to whether a second state shutdown is the only way to significantly reduce cases of COVID.

“I don’t know,” Dennis Banks said. “I would be okay. I’ll be home with my wife. I’ve been home with her for five months. We just have to wait and see what happens.”

The thought in many minds now: is this tip the worst we’ll see? Or is it just the tip of the iceberg?

The aftermath of Thanksgiving now threatens Christmas – our biggest holiday – just three weeks away.

In Pueblo County, 287 new cases of COVID-19 and nine COVID-related deaths have been reported.

In Teller County, 26 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported and in Fremont County, 78 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported.