Colorado Coronavirus Update: 1,944 New Cases Reported

Amber Fisher
·2 min read

Colorado began to see an uptick in coronavirus case numbers after the holiday season, but the state has seen a plateau over the past few days, public health data shows.

Between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon, 1,944 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Colorado.

As of Friday, 371,458 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the state among 2,279,614 people who have been tested since the outbreak began, health officials confirmed. Around 20,627 people have been hospitalized.

Colorado's COVID-19 death toll:

  • Deaths due to COVID-19: 4,502

  • Deaths among cases: 5,343

Around 33 percent of the state's critical care ventilators were in use as of Friday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Colorado. Sign up for free Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

Around 15 percent of Colorado hospitals reported anticipating staff shortages over the next week, and 5 percent of hospitals reported anticipating ICU bed shortages.

All 'Level Red' counties have moved to 'Level Orange' on the state's COVID-19 dial, which means businesses are allowed higher capacity caps and fewer restrictions.

Colorado continues to receive vaccine shipments, which are being distributed in three phases over the next nine months. The federal government told Colorado that a second dose was being held in reserve, but that information wasn't accurate, Gov. Jared Polis said during a virtual news conference Friday. Colorado expected to receive 210,000 doses of the vaccine from the national reserve next week, but our state is now set to receive only 79,000 doses.

Read also: Colorado Vaccine Rollout For Ages 70 And Older: What To Know

This article originally appeared on the Across Colorado Patch