COLORADO, USA — Cases of COVID-19, a disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus, began popping up in the United States in January. On March 5, the first case was announced in Colorado.
Each day, we will post a new blog that will track the daily changes in Denver and throughout Colorado as we get them.
WHAT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
- 16,225 cases, 2,793 hospitalized, 832 deaths Get the latest from the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).
- On Monday, April 27, Colorado transitioned to a "safer-at-home" order.
- Denver extended its stay-at-home order to at least May 8.
- Denver will begin requiring face masks in public places on May 6.
- The DMV is reopening some of its offices, by appointment only, on May 6.
Saturday, May 2
Food trucks allowed to operate at rest areas to support truckers
Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order Saturday that allows food trucks to operate at Colorado rest areas to support the truckers who play a critical role in the national supply chain.
Truckers transport essential supplies like food, household supplies, equipment and PPE. Other states have started allowing food trucks to operate at rest stops so that those drivers can have access to nutritious and affordable meals. As a centrally located state, Colorado must follow that example, the executive order states.
“As Coloradans continue to take precautions including wearing masks and staying home, we are all grateful for the hard work of Colorado’s truckers, who are working hard to ensure that our supply chain runs smoothly and our grocery shelves are stocked," Polis said in a statement. "In addition to expressing thanks to truckers, we are taking action and remove barriers and regulations that get in the way of our truckers having access to freshly made meals.
“This action will help Colorado’s truckers have access to fresh and affordable meals on the road and help our small food truck businesses continue to support themselves in a way that also supports our critical supply chain needs and our community," he said. "I encourage food truck operators to help truckers who are helping all of us by getting out to Colorado’s rest stops.”
More residents, staff test positive at Aurora long-term care facility
Twenty-three residents and nine staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons, including three residents who have died, the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) said Saturday.
The testing of all staff and residents to find asymptomatic carriers was done on April 29, and results showed that two staff and 16 residents tested positive, according to a CDHS news release. The results added to the seven staff members and seven residents who already had tested positive for COVID-19.
"Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones to this virus, as well as our residents and staff who are fighting this virus, and we hope all experience quick recoveries," said CDHS executive director Michelle Barnes. "In times like these, we are thankful for our staff and team that continue to show up every day and provide the best care for our residents."
Colorado receives second sanitation system for N95 respirators
A second Battelle Critical Care Decontamination system has been sent to Colorado, according to the Colorado Joint Information Center (JIC).
The system cleans and decontaminates N95 respirators to make them reusable, and will be installed in Montrose at the Friendship Hall, JIC said. The self-contained mobile unit can decontaminate up to 80,000 masks per day, giving a single respirator up to 20 additional reuses per cleaning.
All health-care personnel are eligible for the free N95 decontamination. Non-medical personnel contributing to emergency COVID-19 response efforts can also request to qualify under the Battelle Emergency Use Authorization.
Coronavirus cases in Colorado
In Colorado, 16,225 people have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and 832 people have died. Of those who tested positive for the disease, 2,793 have been hospitalized.
As of 4 p.m. on May 1, 737 patients were currently hospitalized with the disease, according to the most recent data from the Colorado Hospital Association. Within the last 24 hours, 71 patients have been transferred or discharged.
According to CDPHE, 75,259 people have been tested and 56 counties are reporting cases. There have been 161 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities.
- Denver: 3,222
- Arapahoe: 2,625
- Weld: 1,836
- Adams: 1,730
- Jefferson: 1,384
- El Paso: 988
- Boulder: 646
- Eagle: 546
- Douglas: 518
- Morgan: 395
- Larimer: 384
- Logan: 288
- Gunnison: 165
- Broomfield: 163
- Pueblo: 150
- Summit: 136
- Montrose: 102
- Garfield: 95
- Chaffee: 67
- La Plata: 63
- Routt: 56
- Pitkin: 51
- Mesa: 47
- Delta: 48
- Elbert: 31
- Teller: 28
- Fremont: 22
- Kit Carson: 21
- San Miguel: 19
- Lake: 20
- Montezuma: 16
- Clear Creek: 13
- Park: 14
- Baca: 10
- Alamosa: 11
- Otero: 10
- Yuma: 8
- Archuleta: 8
- Rio Grande: 7
- Washington: 8
- Moffat: 6
- Philips: 5
- Ouray: 5
- Grand: 5
- Saguache: 3
- Costilla: 3
- Las Animas: 3
- Hinsdale: 3
- Lincoln: 3
- Crowley: 3
- Mineral: 2
- Custer: 2
- Huerfano: 2
- Rio Blanco: 1
- Gilpin: 1
- Prowers: 1
- Unknown or pending: 226
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus that first appeared in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and breathing trouble. Most patients develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.
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