COVID-19 cases in Pueblo reach new pandemic high
The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Pueblo has reached a new pandemic-high, jumping 146% from the week before.
Pueblo recorded 2,127 new cases the week of Jan. 2, surpassing the previous record from late November 2020. During the first week of this year, the city had a recorded positivity rate of 23.9%, up from less than 4% at the beginning of December 2021.
This increase can be attributed to several factors, including the emergence of the new omicron variant.
"Omicron is up to twenty times more contagious than the original strain of the virus and as must as three times more contagious than the most recent variant (Delta)," said Pueblo Public Health Director Randy Evetts.
"Therefore, many more people are contracting the illness."
With that said, the rise in cases is not translating to an equal rise in hospitalizations, according to hospital data.
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After operating for most of December over capacity, both Parkview Health System and St. Mary Corwin Hospital are operating below capacity with 47 and 7 hospitalizations respectively on Jan. 5, the most recent date for which data is publicly available. This is compared to hospitalizations at both locations regularly remaining well over capacity just a month ago.
"It is contributing to hospitalizations, just not at the same rate as the previous variants," Evetts said. "Hospital numbers in Pueblo have been slowly climbing over the past week and a half. At the state level, hospitalizations are approaching 1,600 in a single day."
When relaying the most recent case numbers to the new city councilmen at the Jan. 10 City Council meeting, Mayor Nicholas Gradisar noted that while research has shown that the omicron variant is not as severe for people who have been vaccinated and boosted, it could still have a serious impact on the many Puebloans who remain unvaccinated.
"As much as we might like, we are in the middle of this pandemic still, we are not through, it's not through with us yet," Gradisar said.
"Pueblo has one of the lower vaccination rates in the state. I think that's unfortunate because that puts a burden on our hospitals."
Right now, Pueblo County still lags slightly behind the target vaccination rate of 70% of the local population, making up less than 3% of the state population.
"Hospital admissions show that about 75%-80% of those admitted are unvaccinated," Evetts said.
Further, research has shown that those who were previously fully vaccinated have waning immunity over time, especially against the omicron variant. Similarly, those who were previously infected more than three months ago have waning immunity as well, Evetts said.
"Hospital data suggests that about 20-25% of their admissions now are for those who have not been boosted after their initial vaccination series or after their previous infection resolved," he said.
"Parkview Medical Center reports that this week 95% of those admitted for COVID have not had a booster shot."
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Contact Chieftain reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo COVID-19 cases hit new high
