Record Number Of COVID-19 Tests Administered In Colorado Wednesday

DENVER (CBS4) - A record number of COVID-19 tests were administered in Colorado this week. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports 19,761 COVID-19 tests on Wednesday followed by 19,425 tests on Thursday.

This is the first week during the pandemic that daily testing in Colorado surpassed 19,000. The 7-day average testing positivity rate decreased from 3.71% on Sept. 26 to 3.36% on Oct. 1.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 680 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Since the pandemic began, the state has recorded 71,898 confirmed cases of the virus.

The number of people currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 grew on Friday to 219. An additional 85 patients have symptoms of the virus, but are waiting for test results.

RELATED: Colorado COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reach 200 For First Time Since August

Epidemiologists have said that the rate of current hospitalization is one of the best indicators of how the virus is spreading. The recent the increase in hospitalizations follows a large increase in cases that began in mid-September.

Since the pandemic began, 1,968 people have died from COVID-19 in Colorado and 7,653 have been hospitalized. Health officials continue to encourage people to wear a mask in public and maintain social distancing in order to reduce the spread of the virus.

CDPHE Resources:

General Information: covid19.colorado.gov

CDPHE Data: https://covid19.colorado.gov/data

Frequently Asked Questions: covid19.colorado.gov/frequently-asked-questions-faq

State Guidance: covid19.colorado.gov/guidance-for-everyone