COVID In Colorado: Hospitalizations Decline As State Records 132 Deaths
DENVER (CBS4) - Health officials continue to report fewer COVID-19 patients in Colorado hospitals. Across the state, the number of patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of the virus decreased by 21 on Tuesday to 1,445.
Colorado's COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked in early December at 1,847. A quarter of all hospitals and facilities in the state anticipate a staff shortage in the next week and 9% of facilities anticipate ICU bed shortages.
Nearly 32,000 people received a COVID-19 test in Colorado on Monday. The 7-day average positivity rate has steadily declined from 12.41% on Dec. 4 to 8.97% on Dec. 14.
The daily positivity rate was 6.33% on Monday. The World Health Organization recommends a positivity rate of 5% or lower for at least two weeks before local governments begin reopening.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 132 new deaths due to COVID-19. It is important to note that it can take several weeks for death records to be submitted to the state due to a lag in reporting by medical certifiers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Colorado provides death data related to COVID-19 in two ways:
- Deaths due to COVID-19:
- This is based on CDC coding of death certificates where COVID-19 is listed as the cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death.
- Deaths among COVID-19 cases:
- This reflects people who died with COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate.
CDPHE explains that they are required to report deaths among COVID-19 cases to the CDC.
"This information is required by the CDC and is crucial for public health surveillance, as it provides more information about disease transmission and can help identify risk factors among all deaths across populations," stated CDPHE on its Frequently Asked Questions page.
CDPHE updates COVID-19 data daily at covid19.colorado.gov/data.
COVID-19 Data as of 4 p.m. Tuesday:
Testing:
- 31,936 tests conducted on Dec. 14 with 8.97% positivity rate (7-day moving average)
- 6.33% daily positivity rate on Dec. 14
Hospital Data:
- 1,445 Patients currently hospitalized, 94% of facilities reporting (-21)
- 109 Patients under investigation for probable cases, not lab confirmed (+10)
- 175 Patients discharged/transferred in past 24 hours (+4)
- 25% Facilities anticipating staff shortages within next week (+0%)
- 1% Facilities anticipating PPE shortages within next week (+0%)
- 9% Facilities anticipating ICU bed shortages within next week (+0%)
- 48% Critical care ventilators in use (+0%)
- 74% of ICU Beds in use (463 available)
Case Summary (since pandemic began):
- 293,382 cases (+2,278)
- 16,487 hospitalized (+313)
- 1,975,685 tested (+6,804)
- 3,841,825 test encounters (+31,936)
- 4,085 deaths among cases (+116)
- 3,218 deaths due to COVID-19 (+132)
- 2,670 outbreaks (+39)
