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Coronavirus in Colorado: Latest COVID-19 updates for July 27-Aug. 2, 2020

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Posted at 5:29 AM, Jul 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-02 18:14:27-04

More than 44,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Colorado as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Below, we're updating this blog with the latest information regarding COVID-19 in Colorado.


Latest updates:

Sunday, August 2

4:08 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers for Colorado

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The change from the previous day is indicated within the parenthesis.

47,716 cases (+449)
6,474 hospitalized (+9)
63 counties (+0)
544,023 people tested (+6,641)
714,560 test encounters (+10,606)
1,844 deaths among cases (+0)
1,691 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
481 outbreaks (+0)

The latest hospital data shows 347 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, with 25 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 80% of state hospitals reporting. Saturday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 3.72%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%. Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

Saturday, August 1

4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers for Colorado

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The change from the previous day is indicated within the parenthesis.

47,267 cases (+458)
6,465 hospitalized (+24)
63 counties (+0)
537,382 people tested (+7,162)
703,954 test encounters (+12,589)
1,844 deaths among cases (+6)
1,691 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
481 outbreaks (+2)

The latest hospital data shows 350 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, with 32 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 83% of state hospitals reporting. Friday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 3.55%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

Friday, July 31

4 p.m. | Two more outbreaks of COVID-19 reported in Colorado as cases continue to increase

Colorado saw two more outbreaks of the novel coronavirus on the last day of July as more than 600 new cases were confirmed by the state on Friday. Please note: The (+) denotes a change from the previous day.

46,809 cases (+605)
6,441 hospitalized (+28)
63 counties (+0)
530,220 people tested (+7,046)
691,365 test encounters (+12,542)
1,838 deaths among cases (+16)
1,691 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
479 outbreaks (+2)

The latest hospital data shows 350 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 9 more from Thursday, with 32 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 83% of state hospitals reporting. Thursday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 3.64%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of July 31, 2020

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

12:05 p.m. | Bike to Work Day canceled

The Denver region's 30th annual Bike to Work Day has been canceled due to the novel coronavirus. It has been replaced with Bike to Wherever Week from Sept. 21-25, 2020. For information, visit https://www.biketoworkday.us.

11:40 a.m. | Encouraging signs in Denver data but vigilance needed, officials say

Denver city officials on Friday said there has been encouraging signs in recent COVID-19 data for the city but cautioned residents to stay vigilant heading into the weekend.

Denver's daily case numbers have dipped in recent days, though those numbers could change as more case information becomes available. Also, the city's COVID-19 positivity rate remains below 5%, a key threshold, Mayor Michael Hancock said.

View Denver's latest COVID-19 case data here.

Officials outlined four metrics that the city looks at when making decisions on whether to implement COVID-19 restrictions: Case rates, positivity rates, hospitalizations, and ICU capacity. Denver remains in the "good" category for all four data points, meaning those statistics have not reached a threshold to roll back relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.

"We've seen some leveling off in the last few days, but we still need to be cautious," city health department director Bob McDonald said. "This can boil over at any point in time."

10:45 a.m. | Elitch Gardens to remain closed through 2020 season

Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park announced it will not open for the 2020 season. The State’s Executive Order currently prohibits the operation of amusement parks and a timeline for the easing of those restrictions hasn't been determined yet. The park said it was unable to obtain government approval to open.

Due to this, the park will also not hire its 1,400+ summer employees.

“We are terribly saddened that for the first time in 130 years Elitch Gardens will not be allowed to entertain families from throughout our region,” said David Dorman, General Manager of the park. “I know that we have all felt the frustration and impacts of this pandemic. We appreciate the support of our community and look forward to welcoming our guests and team members back in 2021.”

Pre-purchased season passes will be transferred to a 2021 VIP Season Pass. All single-day 2020 tickets will be transferred to 2021. Both of these transfers are automatic.

More than one million guests visit the park each season.

Thursday, July 30

4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado

More than 400 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus from Wednesday into Thursday, with nearly 1,700 dead from COVID-19, according to the latest numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Note: The (+) denotes a change in cases from the previous day.

46,204 cases (+408)
6,413 hospitalized (+15)
63 counties (+0)
523,174 people tested (+6,672)
678,823 test encounters (+10,578)
1,822 deaths among cases (+0)
1,691 deaths due to COVID-19 (+3)
477 outbreaks (+4)

The latest hospital data shows 341 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 12 fewer from Wednesday, with 34 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 84% of state hospitals reporting. Wednesday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 3.59%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of July 30, 2020

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

3:40 p.m. | Person who took bar exam at DU tests positive for COVID-19

A person who took the bar exam at DU on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus and university officials are now working on contact tracing to determine who else might have been exposed to the new respiratory disease.

"Safety and security of the DU community is the highest priority. We are ever mindful to balance the confidentiality of health information with the transparency needed to mitigate exposure risks and maintain compliance to regulations and University policy," a spokesman said in a statement.

3:27 p.m. | CDPHE releases guidance to help Colorado schools respond to COVID-19 cases, outbreaks

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has released guidance aimed at detecting, reporting and responding to cases and outbreaks of COVID-19 at schools statewide.

The guidance provides specific steps a school should take in response to cases and outbreaks and outlines when classrooms, cohorts, and schools should close. The CDPHE says this guide is a go-to manual for school leadership experiencing one or more cases of COVID-19.

Per the guidelines, schools are required to report all suspected and confirmed outbreaks to their local public health agency or CDPHE within four hours. Schools also are encouraged to report single cases of COVID-19 to their local public health agency.

You can view the case and outbreak guidance released by CDPHE here (a shorter version can be found here) and guidance for the fall reopening of schools here.

CDPHE says it will update guidance as additional information becomes available.

2 p.m. | Polis says cease-and-desist letter sent to company behind Weld County rodeo

Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sent a cease-and-desist letter to the entertainment company behind a rodeo in Greeley last weekend.

Polis emphasized that Colorado is not ready for mass gatherings of more than 175 people, especially if social distancing is not maintained. Polis also addressed complaints over his order to require last call for alcohol to be at 10 p.m. amid the COVID-19 crisis.

"I agree completely that it's outrageous that bars have to close at 10 p.m.," Polis said. "This is a tough time. Nobody in the country has figured out how we can have that kind of nightlife during a pandemic."

10:10 a.m. | Polis to update state on COVID-19 today

Gov. Jared Polis will hold a remote, virtual press conference on the state's response to COVID-19 at 12:30 p.m.

7:35 a.m. | 8,000 regular initial unemployment claims filed in Colorado last week

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported that 8,008 regular initial unemployment claims were filed the week ending on July 25.

There were also 9,727 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed for the same week. Since mid-March, a total of 510,065 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed, with a grand total of 664,532 claims, including federal PUA benefits.

For the week ending July 18, there were 223,298 regular UI continued claims, the lowest weekly total since mid-April.

The department also announced it has paid out over $4 billion in unemployment benefits since March 29th.

6:35 a.m. | 1.4 million Americans filed for unemployment last week

Last week, 1.4 million Americans filed initial claims for unemployment, according to weekly statistics from the Department of Labor. That's a slight uptick — about 20,000 additional claims — from the previous week's figures. Click here to read more.

Wednesday, July 29

7:45 p.m. | CSU pauses team football activities after 8 students test positive for COVID-19

Colorado State University says it is voluntarily pausing all football team activities after eight students in the program tested positive for COVID-19. A full team test will be done as early as next week, officials said on the team's website.

"We are taking this step to voluntarily pause football activities to minimize the opportunity for this virus to spread any further," said Colorado State Director of Athletics Joe Parker. "We will always put the health and safety of our student-athletes and community first, and while we are disappointed to see this spread occur within our program, we remain encouraged for the continued collaboration we have experienced with our University's Pandemic Preparedness Team, local, county, and state health officials."

4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers for Colorado

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The change from the previous day is indicated within the parenthesis.

45,796 cases (+482)
6,398 hospitalized (+79)
63 counties (+0)
516,502 people tested (+7,490)
668,245 test encounters (+11,940)
1,822 deaths among cases (+15)
1,688 deaths due to COVID-19 (+9)
473 outbreaks (+10)

The latest hospital data shows 353 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 6 fewer from Tuesday, with 31 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 87% of state hospitals reporting. Tuesday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 4.27%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of July 29, 2020

Tuesday, July 28

4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers from Colorado

Here are the latest coronavirus case numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Please note: The CDPHE says due to a server issue Sunday and Monday, the number of tests completed and cases reported today may be artificially high.

45,314 cases (+749)
6,319 hospitalized (+48)
63 counties (+0)
509,012 people tested (+11,747)
656,305 test encounters (+17,337)
1,807 deaths among cases (+8)
1,679 deaths due to COVID-19 (+11)
463 outbreaks (+6)

The latest hospital data shows 359 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 6 fewer from Monday, with 30 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 86% of state hospitals reporting. Sunday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 4.56%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

3:08 p.m. | Pepsi Center Testing site closes early due to weather

The COVID-19 testing site at the Pepsi Center is now closed due to incoming severe weather, the Colorado Office of Emergency Management said in a tweet.

The Pepsi Center testing site will open at 8 a.m. tomorrow and remain open until 4 p.m., or until 2,000 tests have been administered for the day. Actual closing times will vary.

Monday, July 27

4 p.m. | CDPHE: Server data causing 'artificially low' numbers in tests completed, cases reported for Monday

The Colorado Department of Public Health said that due to a server issue with their electronic laboratory reporting system, the number of tests completed and cases reported for Monday "may be artificially low." State health officials said they expect the issue to be resolved by the end of the day and any discrepancies accounted for will be in tomorrow's data.

44,565 cases (+229)
6,271 hospitalized (+3)
63 counties (+0)
497,265 people tested (+2,639)
638,968 test encounters (+3,393)
1,799 deaths among cases (+5)
1,668 deaths due to COVID-19 (+7)
457 outbreaks (+0)

The latest hospital data shows 365 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 27 more from Sunday, with 24 patients discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 83% of state hospitals reporting. Sunday’s 3-day moving average positivity rate was 4.69%. The state’s target is to remain below 5%.

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

5:30 a.m. | World's largest COVID-19 vaccine study begins

According to the Associated Press, the biggest COVID-19 vaccine study in the world began Monday with the first of 30,000 volunteers helping to test shots created by the U.S. government. The vaccine was developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. Click here to read more.

Click here to view our coronavirus blog from July 20-26, 2020.