COLORADO, USA — Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) is asking communities across Colorado to come together Friday for a Day of Remembrance in honor of Coloradans who have lost their battle to COVID-19.
The State Capitol, along with cities, counties and other organizations, will be turning their lights red at 7 p.m. to honor the more than 1,000 Coloradans who have passed. Coloradans can participate by wearing protective face coverings or masks to show support in the battle against the new coronavirus.
Also on Thursday, state officials announced that more than 31,000 people in Colorado made initial claims for unemployment during the week ending May 9.
An unprecedented number of people in Colorado have been filing for unemployment amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, bu this is the fourth week in a row of gradual declines in regular unemployment claims, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).
Those are among the coronavirus updates for the state Thursday. More details are below, and we'll continue to post information as it comes in throughout the day.
>VIDEO: Midday updates on COVID-19 for March 14.
WHAT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
- 20,838 cases, up from 20,475 the day prior.
- 3,789 hospitalized, up from 3,735 the day prior.
- 1,091 deaths, up from 1,062 the day prior.
- Get the latest data from the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).
- The number
- On Monday, April 27, Colorado transitioned to a "safer-at-home" order.
- Denver began requiring face masks in public places on Wednesday, May 6.
- Coloradans can once again camp at many state campgrounds starting Tuesday.
- All but one DMV location now open by appointment only.
Belmar to reopen Friday in Lakewood
Belmar, the open-air shopping mall in Lakewood, will reopen Friday at 11 a.m.
For more information on rules and guidelines for shoppers, please click here.
Polis announces day of remembrance for Coloradans who lost battle to COVID-19
Communities across Colorado will come together on Friday at 7 p.m. to honor those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 in a statewide Day of Remembrance, Gov. Polis announced Thursday.
“This global pandemic has cost 300,000 lives across the world and over 1,000 in Colorado alone," Polis said. "Too many Coloradans have lost family members and friends to this deadly virus, and we honor and celebrate their lives especially because many victims couldn’t have proper in-person funerals, remembrances, and wakes."
Coloradans can participate by wearing a protective face covering or masks for a minute of silence to display their effort to do their part to save lives. They can also post on social media to raise awareness about the remembrance event, Polis said.
“This is a challenging moment for many of our friends and neighbors and to those Coloradans who are struggling: you are not alone and we are all in this together," Polis said. "We still have work to do to stop the spread of this virus and can defeat this virus by staying home as much as possible, wearing facial masks when in public, and washing our hands regularly. Together we can avoid burying and remembering more Coloradans far too early.”
The State Capitol, along with cities, counties and other organizations, will be turning their lights red at 7 p.m. m. to honor those who have passed.
The state is encouraging buildings and businesses across the state to turn their lights red as well, and for police and fire departments to turn their lights on at 7 p.m. for one minute.
Air Care Colorado resumes emissions testing this Friday
Vehicle emissions testing will resume at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 15 at 10 Air Care Colorado (ACC) emissions inspection stations.
Testing volume is expected to be extremely heavy in the first few weeks. To help reduce wait times, motorists with registration renewals that are due in May are being urged to NOT get an emissions inspection now, but to wait until June.
Motorists can find new testing procedures, safety information and suggested times for testing at aircarecolorado.com and by calling the Air Care Colorado hotline at 303-456-7090.
More than 450,000 unemployment claims filed in Colorado over last 8 weeks
31,608 unemployment claims were filed in the state during the week ending May 9, raising to total over the last eight weeks to 451,155, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).
Over the past eight weeks a total of 387,975 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed and a grand total of 451,155 claims including federal PUA benefits.
This is the fourth week in a row of gradual declines in regular unemployment claims, the CDLE said.
Top 5 industries with highest claims:
- Accommodation and Food Services: 4,624
- Retail Trade: 4,010
- Healthcare and Social Service: 3,009
- Administrative and Support and
Waste Management and Remediation Services: 1,944 - Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: 1,550
Benefits paid (regular UI)
- Week ending May 9: $96.0 million
- Week ending May 2: $84.8 million
- Week ending April 25: $86.1 million
- Week ending April 18: $74.1 million
- Week ending April 11: $62.0 million
- Week ending April 4: $29.8 million
- Average 2020 weekly benefits paid for weeks prior: $8.7 million
Denver Mayor provides Thursday update on COVID-19
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock provided an update at 1 p.m. Thursday on the city's response to COVID-19.
The meeting was held virtually from the Denver City and County Building. Hancock and city leaders discussed contact tracing, the implications of the pandemic on the city budget and the creation of a Social Safety Net strategy.
FULL PRESS CONFERENCE: Denver Mayor provides Thursday update on COVID-19
40 airplanes to parade across Colorado on Thursday
A parade of more than 30 planes will fly over the Denver metro area as part of a fundraising effort for the Colorado COVID Relief Fund, known as Help Colorado Now.
The aerial flyover is set to take place Thursday, May 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. across the Denver metro area. Organizers encourage people to watch from their homes and always follow social distancing public health guidelines.
FLIGHT PATH: 40 airplanes to parade across Colorado on Thursday
Vehicle parade in Littleton honored front line workers
In a show of support and gratitude, first responders held a parade of emergency vehicles Thursday for frontline health care workers at Centura-Littleton Adventist Hospital.
At least 32 vehicles took part and drove a loop through the campus as caregivers looked on. You can watch a replay of the event on our YouTube page.
Coronavirus cases in Colorado
In Colorado, CDPHE reports 20,838 people have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, up from 20,475 the day prior.
Fatalities
CDPHE reports that 1,091 people have died, up from 1,062 the day before. The majority of deaths — 54% — are among people over age 80; 23% of deaths occurred in people between ages 70-79 and 13% were in people ages 60-69.
The graph below shows the total number of people in Colorado who have died after a COVID-19 diagnosis, since the first death happened on March 13.
The median number of new deaths per day is 16 for the first 11 days of May. For the same time period in April, a median of 15 more people died each day.
This graph shows the number of people who died on a specific day.
Date of death may not be available for all deaths. As of Tuesday, CDPHE knew the date of death for 92% of COVID-19-related deaths.
The numbers for each date may change. The totals will rise as we learn of new deaths.
Hospitalizations
Of those who tested positive for the disease, 3,789 hospitalizations have been reported, up from 3,735 the day prior.
As of 1:30 p.m. on May 12, 514 patients are currently hospitalized with the disease, according to the most recent data from the Colorado Hospital Association. Within the last 24 hours, 46 patients have been transferred or discharged.
This graphic shows the number of people currently hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis and the number of people who have been discharged within 24 hours. This is a key metric because it can be an indicator of whether or not Colorado’s hospital system is being overwhelmed by the virus.
Those currently hospitalized dropped 19% from last Monday.
Testing
According to CDPHE, 115,996 people have been tested, up from 112,505 the day prior, and 60 counties are reporting cases, the same number as the day before.
This graphic shows the number of tests the state processed in a day. This is another key metric because the state’s ability to reopen will depend on the number of tests Colorado can run each day. As testing improves, the number of cases will rise because the more tests that are conducted, the more cases will be found.
Colorado processed a median of 1,851.5 tests a day for the first 10 days of April. Now the median is 3,385 for the first 10 days of May.
Cases by county
- Denver: 4,359
- Arapahoe: 3,526
- Adams: 2,448
- Weld: 2,232
- Jefferson: 1,748
- El Paso: 1,204
- Boulder: 805
- Douglas: 621
- Eagle: 564
- Morgan: 534
- Logan: 483
- Larimer: 463
- Broomfield: 204
- Pueblo: 186
- Gunnison: 182
- Summit: 175
- Montrose: 129
- Garfield: 112
- Chaffee: 69
- La Plata: 66
- Routt: 59
- Delta: 54
- Pitkin: 54
- Mesa: 51
- Elbert: 41
- Crowley: 39
- Alamosa: 37
- Teller: 31
- Kit Carson: 25
- Montezuma: 25
- Fremont: 25
- Lake: 23
- San Miguel: 22
- Park: 16
- Clear Creek: 15
- Saguache: 15
- Baca: 12
- Yuma: 11
- Otero: 11
- Washington: 9
- Prowers: 9
- Philips: 9
- Archuleta: 8
- Rio Grande: 7
- Moffat: 6
- Ouray: 6
- Grand: 5
- Cheyenne: 5
- Las Animas: 4
- Costilla: 4
- Hinsdale: 3
- Lincoln: 3
- Huerfano: 3
- Mineral: 2
- Custer: 2
- Gilpin: 2
- Rio Blanco: 1
- Conejos: 1
- San Juan: 1
- Bent: 1
- Unknown or pending: 71
Please note that there may be a lull or spike in reported case data due to how it's reported. CDPHE data changes as labs, hospitals, facilities and local agencies report their own data. For example, a spike in the number of deaths does not necessarily mean that many more people died within 24 hours, but rather is indicative of when the data is entered into the system. New data is released daily at 4 p.m.
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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