COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Gov. Jared Polis, on a swing through Colorado Springs and Pueblo Tuesday, dismissed rumors that the number of COVID-19 deaths is far fewer than reported.
The rumor, cited by President Trump this week, was that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had significantly overstated the percentage of those who die from the virus. According to The Washington Post, a QAnon supporter claimed the CDC had updated its figures to say that only 6% of the 153,504 deaths attributed to the virus actually died from COVID-19. The rest either were of advanced age or had pre-existing conditions, the tweet said.
When people die from the virus, Polis said, it can be from pneumonia or organ failure, which is attributable to the virus. "They were perfectly healthy" before catching COVID. In Colorado, age, especially for those over 70, is a risk factor. One in three or one in four over the age of 70 need hospitalization, versus the one in 20 or 30 for young people. The risk is greater than for the cold or the flu, Polis said.
Polis also reported that the state's positivity rate has climbed from 2.18% about two weeks ago to 2.98%. It's still a "good" number, under 5%, he said. However, for Pueblo and El Paso County, higher positivity numbers point to a need for more testing. Pueblo is at 4%; El Paso County is at 4.2%
"The better we do with testing," the better the state will do with containing the virus.
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