Coronavirus Now Claiming Lives Of Colorado Patients Under 50

DENVER (CBS4) - People who are under 50 years of age are now among those who have died from coronavirus in Colorado. Gov. Jared Polis made the announcement on Monday afternoon during a news conference, calling it and every other of Colorado's fatal COVID-19 cases "tragic."

"It shows the severity of this virus for people of all ages," Polis said.

At least two patients in their 40s are now among the 51 people who have died. (Polis initially stated that someone was under 40 who had died, but his staff later said that was a mistake -- it was someone who was in their 40s.)

Polis went on to say that between 80% and 85% of people who test positive don't require hospitalization or intensive treatment and will "self resolve" as they completely isolate themselves and don't spread coronavirus to others.

Watch the complete news conference:

There are now 2,627 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Colorado, and the virus has been confirmed in 47 of the state's 64 counties. There have been 15,360 tests for the virus done so far in Colorado.

A total of 414 of those people who have contracted the virus have been hospitalized.

"New patients are being admitted to the hospital at a faster rate than patients are recovering, and as a result the hospital census is steadily increasing, putting even more strain on our capacity and resources," said Dr. Marc Moss from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who joined Polis to talk about the state's health care crisis.

RELATED: Latest Updates On The Coronavirus Outbreak In Colorado

Over the weekend President Donald Trump approved a request by Polis to declare a major disaster for Colorado. Polis and a majority of Colorado's congressional delegation signed the urgent request. The declaration now allows for more federal funding as the number of positive coronavirus cases rises daily in the state.