Coronavirus in Colorado: COVID-19 updates for Jan. 10-16, 2022
Denver7
Live updates from the Denver7 team on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Colorado.
By: The Denver7 Team
More than 1,040,500 people in Colorado have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 52,400 have been hospitalized as of Monday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Below, we're updating this blog with the latest information regarding COVID-19 in Colorado.
Friday, Jan. 14
4:35 p.m. | Latest coronavirus data
Here's the latest COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
1,103,720 cases (+14,226)
53,285 hospitalized (+81)
64 counties (+0)
4,509,634 people tested (+13,244)
15,020,368 test encounters (65,266)
10,616 deaths among cases (+34)
11,003 deaths due to COVID-19 (+21)
7,590 outbreaks (+31)
The latest hospital data show 1,730 beds in use by patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, 32 more than Thursday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 28.30%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Friday, 4,280,667 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado and 3,852,766 have been fully vaccinated.
11:32 a.m. | Eagle County's mask mandate to expire Jan. 17 for general public, Jan. 21 for schools K-8th grade
The Eagle County Board of Health voted Thursday to expire the county's indoor mask requirement on Jan. 17. The mask mandate will expire on Jan. 21 for kids in K-8th grade.
"Public health officials emphasized the ongoing value of face coverings and will continue to recommend them in public indoor settings, especially as disease rates remain high within the county and around the state," county officials said in a news release Friday, adding the changes come as local circumstances slowly improve, with new cases beginning to decline and a trend in reduction of the strain "on all business sectors, importantly health and medical."
As of Friday, the county's 7-day cumulative case rate was 1,557 per 100,000 people, and the 7-day average positivity rate was 36.2%.
The CDC recommends people mask indoors - regardless of vaccination status - if they live in a place with "substantial" or "high" transmission of COVID-19. Currently, all of Colorado is labeled as an area of "high" transmission.
11:45. p.m. | Lafayette closing certain city services
The City of Lafayette is closing city hall and the senior center to the public due to COVID-19.
The change will begin on Jan. 18 until further notice.
Certain services will be offered by reservation or appointment only at the Senior Center.
City services will continue to be available online, and staff is available via telephone or email during regular business hours.
5:56 p.m. | Littleton Public Schools updates COVID-19 notification protocol
Littleton Public Schools will no longer notify parents if their children have been exposed to COVID-19, officials announced in a newsletter Thursday.
School officials say they are seeing more COVID-19 cases than ever before due to the omicron variant. This is making exposure notifications more challenging.
Exposure notifications will stop immediately. However, beginning Friday, Jan. 14, case counts per school will be posted daily on the LPS COVID Dashboard.
5:15 p.m. | Adams 14 resuming in-person learning next week
The Adams 14 School District will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, Jan. 18, officials announced Thursday.
The school district switched to remote learning following a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases across the county.
Schools will be closed on Jan. 17 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
53,204 hospitalized (+147)
14,955,102 test encounters (+71,755)
The latest hospital data show 1,698 beds in use by patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, 65 more than Wednesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 29.25%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
AsAs of Friday4,275,553 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado and 3,849,082 have been fully vaccinated.
10:30 a.m. | Kiowa Schools affected by COVID-19 staffing shortages
On Wednesday, Kiowa Schools leadership announced that due to numerous cases of COVID-19 among faculty, staff, and students, all three schools — Kiowa Elementary & Early Childhood, Kiowa Middle School, and Kiowa High School — will be closed Thursday and Monday, Jan. 17.
School leadership told Elbert County Public Health that they are aware of seven cases in the high school, four in the middle school, and seven in the elementary school.
8:40 a.m. | Time entry reservations at International Snow sculpture Championships in Breckenridge
Teams of sculptors from around the world will once again transform downtown Breckenridge into a temporary outdoor art gallery of ice sculptures.
This year, organizers have implemented free timed entry reservations that only apply for Saturday, Jan. 29, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Availability is limited.
Visitors can see the sculptures outside of peak weekend viewing days and times, including Sunday, Jan. 30 through Wednesday, Feb. 2, when no reservations are required.
4:30 a.m. | BSVD preparing for COVID-19-related staffing shortage
Since the start of the second semester at the Boulder Valley School District, there has been a "markedly higher rate of absenteeism both amongst students in our schools and our employees" as omicron continues to spread.
While the district is not considering implementing remote learning as an entire classes, parents and guardians should prepare for some classes or schools doing so, the school district said.
"In situations in which we are not able to operate in-person learning effectively or safely, we may need to briefly move a classroom or school to remote learning, suspend bus routes and other services," it said. "Please know that we understand the importance of in-person learning and support to our students and as a result, these measures will be a last resort."
Wednesday, Jan. 12
11:45 p.m. | NCHC series postponed for COVID-19 protocols
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference postponed this weekend's series between Colorado College and Western Michigan and the University of Denver and St. Cloud State series due to COVID-19 protocols.
In an effort to make up all of the scheduled games, Omaha will now travel to Denver this weekend for a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday with puck drops at 6 p.m. at Magness Arena.
St. Cloud State at Denver and Western Michigan at Colorado College will move to Feb. 4-5.
The Pioneers and Mavericks series, which was originally slated to play in Denver, will now take place Feb. 25-26 at UNO's Baxter Arena.
Colorado College's series at North Dakota will be pushed back to Feb. 11-12.
For the complete NCHC schedule, click here.
6:50 p.m. | More Colorado hospitals seeing 'incidental' COVID cases among patients admitted for other things
During the current omicron variant wave, Colorado hospitals are seeing more people with "incidental" COVID-19 cases who were originally admitted for reasons other than the virus than during previous waves involving other variants, state public health and hospital officials said Wednesday.
UCHealth is among the hospital systems that said about two-thirds of their roughly 350 patients with COVID-19 from last week were first admitted to the hospital for other reasons but tested positive for COVID during routine testing upon admission. The Colorado Sun reported that Denver Health was seeing similar trends.
The hospital system said during the delta variant wave during the second half of 2021, more than 90% of the patients positive with COVID-19 were hospitalized for treatment for the virus and surrounding complications from it.
UCHealth said the challenge with the incidental patients is that they could still be infectious, so they have to be put into certain units and the health care workers treating them have to wear specialized personal protective equipment.
Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said Wednesday that the incidental COVID case hospitalization trend with omicron was being seen around the state.
She said before the omicron variant hit Colorado — omicron now accounts for virtually all the cases in the state, according to CDPHE data — hospitals were typically seeing between 80% and 90% of their COVID-positive patients coming in for treatment for the virus.
But she said that statewide and across the country, there has been a rapid decrease in that percentage to around 65%, with some areas that could have even lower rates.
It is something officials with the CDPHE are keeping a close eye on as they figure out how to discern sorting patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 versus patients hospitalized with COVID-19, Herlihy said, adding that the incidental patients "continue to put a significant strain on our health care systems" because the adjustments hospitals have to make to keep patients and staff safe from the virus.
4:34 p.m. | Omicron's hospital crush expected to peak in Colorado next week
Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in Colorado. A wave of omicron variant cases straining Colorado hospitals is expected to peak sometime next week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Wednesday.
Cases of the now dominant COVID-19 variant have spiked in Colorado in recent weeks, with a nearly 30% seven-day average positivity rate, but data shows the number of COVID-associated hospitalizations is dropping among patients who have a primary diagnosis of COVID-19.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy explained during a virtual press briefing Wednesday, that among the people hospitalized with some sort of COVID diagnoses, those whose primary issue was the virus itself typically made up around 80% to 90% of all COVID-associated patients. However, that number has dropped to around 65% amid the recent omicron wave.
She did not explain why this is occurring but said looking at other countries, like South Africa and Britain, they are seeing signals that the omicron wave may have peaked, and it is expected to do the same in Colorado.
Read the full story here.
4:23 p.m. | University of Northern Colorado requiring boosters for spring semester
University of Northern Colorado officials say they'll require booster shots for the 2022 spring semester, "in response to increased COVID-19 activity and updated guidance from the CDC and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)."
The university is also expanding their indoor mask policy, requiring them in all shared spaces in residence halls (excluding residence hall rooms) and university-owned apartment hallways as well as in the Campus Recreation Center at all times and during all activities.
"It is as important as ever for everyone to continue practicing personal protective measures — get vaccinated, get a booster dose, wear a mask in indoor public spaces, limit large gatherings, wash hands frequently and get tested immediately if symptomatic or exposed," university officials said.
4 p.m. | Latest coronavirus data
Hospitalizations for confirmed cases of COVID-19 have surpassed the peak from late November, with 1,577 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon.
10,965 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
The latest hospital data show 1,633 beds in use by patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, 74 more than Tuesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 29.66%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Thursdayy, 4,270,325 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado and 3,845,265 have been fully vaccinated.
7:18 p.m. | Brighton school district warning parents to prepare for possible remote learning
School District 27J in Brighton told parents on Tuesday to prepare for a possible shift to remote learning as COVID-19 cases spike.
The district said due to the increase in cases, there is a likelihood that individual schools will shift to remote learning at the last minute this semester. Decisions will made on a day-to-day basis, the district said.
They are offering to parents the following guidelines:
Remind your child to bring home his or her Chromebook every day;
Make arrangements now to have a relative, friend or a neighbor who can monitor your child's online learning if you can't;
Try to have an agreement with your work supervisor so they know you may need an alternative work arrangement to accommodate your child's learning from home.
6:45 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here is the latest COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The CDPHE says today's data update includes "a large backlog of results" caused by the data processing issue from last week, which has been resolved. The CDPHE says the processing issue affected case data and not other data.
The latest hospital data show 1,488 beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID cases and another 71 beds in use by people still under investigation for COVID — 93 more than Monday among the two. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 29.09%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
Seventy-one percent of the people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday were not vaccinated. Fifty-two percent of facilities reported anticipating staff shortages within the next week.
As of Tuesday, 4,265,397 people had received at least one vaccine dose and 3,838,111 were fully vaccinated. Another 1,676,087 eligible people had received a third dose or a booster dose.
10 a.m. | CU Boulder requiring boosters for COVID-19
In a newsletter, CU Boulder's Chief Operating Officer Patrick O'Rourke and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Resource Management Ann Schmiesing announced that "given the impacts of the fire and a surge in the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19, the university implemented a two-week delay for in-person classes to give members of our community time to recover and prepare." In addition to this, the school is implementing a new COVID-19 vaccine booster requirement.
The notice said to comply with CU Boulder's updated COVID-19 guidance, members of the campus community are required to receive a vaccine booster shot by Feb. 24 or five months after receiving the final dose of the original series. Proof of boosters must be uploaded through the MyCUHealth portal.
6:26. p.m. | PSD may need to move to remote learning
The Poudre School District said shifts to remote learning due to the number of students and staff out for COVID-19-related reasons as well as staffing issues could be possible within the district.
At 6:30 a.m. Monday, there were 274 employee absences across the district, and that rose to 317 within three hours.
Last week, the district had 40 custodians and 21 transportation staff out on one day.
PSD said it does not plan to move the entire district to remote learning, but it may have to shift classes, programs, grade levels or even entire schools if necessary.
The district has not moved forward to any shifts to remote learning at this time. PSD said it will try to communicate any moves to remote learning as soon as possible.
Read the district's full letter here.
6:13. p.m. | DU likely returning to in-person learning
The University of Denver says it's on track to return to in-person learning next week.
More details will come out later this week, but the university said "conditions on campus are quite favorable" for a Jan. 18 return to campus.
DU said it's reopening and extending its COVID-19 work accommodation process through Jan. 31. Details on how to apply will come from HRIC this week.
DU has also updated the temporary adjustment process available for students with medical circumstances that make them especially vulnerable.
6:06 p.m. | CDPHE sending text message reminders for COVID-19 vaccinations
Starting Tuesday, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will send text message reminders to Coloradans on staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations.
The text messages will be sent to people 18 and older due for their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, based on vaccine records in the Colorado Immunization Information System. Messages will also be sent to the parents or guardians of kids ages 12-17 if they're due for a second dose.
Text messages will originate from 45778.
6:02 p.m. | FEMA provides additional funding for COVID-19 response
FEMA has approved more than $19 million in additional Public Assistance Program funding for the COVID-19 response in Colorado.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has been awarded $19,031,090 million to contract communication services to inform the public about the COVID-19 vaccine.
FEMA has provided more than $1.6 billion in public assistance for Colorado's COVID-19 response to date.
Here's the latest COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. A reminder that today's state data is an aggregate from the weekend as well as Monday's. The data also includes a large backlog of cases resulting from an issue with CDPHE's electronic laboratory reporting system not successfully communicating with its disease reporting system. The data is being added to the data dashboard as part of today and tomorrow's daily 4 p.m. data updates.
14,750,437 test encounters (+183,248)
10,902 deaths due to COVID-19 (+129)
The latest hospital data show 1,466 beds in use by patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, 16 fewer than Sunday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 28.51%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Tuesdayy, 4,261,158 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado and 3,838,111 have been fully vaccinated.
Click here for the COVID-19 live blog for Jan. 3-9, 2022.