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Colorado coronavirus latest, May 25: 1,333 deaths among cases, 24,269 people test positive

The latest numbers from CDPHE show the number of deaths among cases increased by one from Sunday to Monday.

COLORADO, USA — Gov. Jared Polis extended the state's safer-at-home order to June 1, but said restaurants that follow a strict set of regulations can open Wednesday.

Polis also said day camps and youth activity camps can reopen June 1, while overnight camps will remain closed in June.

Denver, Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Public Health said they will follow the governor's decision to allow limited in-person dining on Wednesday.

Those announcements are among the coronavirus updates for the state on Monday. More details are below, and we'll continue to post information as it comes in throughout the day.

> Video above: Coronavirus headlines from 9NEWS at 10 p.m.

WHAT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

  • 24,269 cases, up from 23,174 the day prior. 
  • 4,128 hospitalized, up from 4,119 the day prior.
  • 1,333 deaths among those who tested positive for COVID-19, up from 1,332 the day prior.
  • 1,088 deaths due to COVID-19, the same as the day prior.
  • Get the latest data from the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).
  • CDPHE released guidance instructing restaurants how they can reopen.
  • Polis said restaurants can reopen to in-person dining on Wednesday, with strict regulations in place. Day camps and youth sports camps can reopen June 1.
  • Denver, Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Public Health confirmed they will follow Polis' statewide guidelines.
  • Colorado has approved variance requests for 30 counties.
  • Polis extended the state's safer-at-home order to June 1.

Click/tap here to read updates from May 24.

Denver metro area counties follow Polis' order on restaurants

The City and County of Denver released a statement Monday afternoon saying that it will follow the state's decision to allow limited in-person dining at restaurants starting Wednesday.

"The city may make additional adjustments in the coming days, and face coverings will be required for restaurant employees and customers, except while eating and drinking," said the statement from Mayor Michael Hancock. "We are looking forward to safely welcoming back sit-down service at Denver restaurants, and are working quickly to process the 375 applications we have received the past few days to expand outdoor patio seating. I also strongly encourage vulnerable populations to continue to abide by more stringent safer-at-home guidelines.”

Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Public Health (which covers Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties) also said that restaurants in their areas can reopen Wednesday under the state's guidelines.

Polis gives restaurants, day camps green light to reopen

Polis said restaurants can reopen to in-person dining at 50% capacity inside the restaurant, but cannot exceed 50 people (whichever is less) on Wednesday.

He also said that private campsites are now open and that children's day camps and youth sports camps may resume June 1. Overnight camps will remain closed in June.

FULL STORY: Polis gives go-ahead for restaurants to reopen on Wednesday

Polis' executive order for restaurants follows those outlined by CDPHE, which still encourages curbside pickup and delivery, it said any establishment that can adhere to the guidelines can open. 

RELATED: Here's how restaurants in Colorado can open for on-premise dining

Capitol Hill King Soopers employee passes away

James Mckay, who started working at King Soopers in 2006, passed away, according to a Sunday Facebook post from United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7R.

"It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to our union brother...a Local 7 member and hero," the Facebook post says. "We send our thoughts and prayers to his family. Rest in paradise and peace, brother."

Mckay worked at Store 29 at 1155 E 9th Ave. in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. That was one of several stores in the state where a COVID-19 outbreak occurred, according to CDPHE numbers released last week.

A King Soopers spokesperson said Mckay had been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 in April 2020 and had been on leave from the store since early March.

“We lost a member of our [King Soopers] family – this is a hard time for us – we’re deeply saddened by the loss and we are all mourning along with his family," the spokesperson said. "This is personal to us; the loss of an associate is difficult, let alone losing an associate to COVID."

RELATED: COVID-19 outbreaks have been confirmed at these 10 Colorado grocery stores

Our Union family is a circle of love and strength, we will forever miss you. #RIP #ForeverAHero

UFCW Local 7R is a union representing about 22,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming.

Coronavirus cases in Colorado

CDPHE on May 15 changed the way it was reporting data in two ways:

  • The number of deaths among people with COVID-19. This represents the total number of deaths reported among people who have COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate. This information is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is crucial for public health surveillance, as it provides more information about disease transmission and can help identify risk factors among all deaths across populations.
  • The number of deaths among people who died from COVID-19: This represents the total number of people whose death was attributed to COVID-19 as indicated on a death certificate. This number is determined by the CDC and is updated daily for dates through the previous Saturday.

In Colorado, CDPHE reports 24,269 people have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, up from 23,964 the day prior.

Fatalities

CDPHE reports:

  • 1,333 deaths among people with COVID-19
  • 1,088 deaths due to COVID-19

The day prior, 1,332 people had died, 1,088 from COVID-19.

The majority of deaths — 55% — 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.

Hospitalizations

Of those who tested positive for the disease, 4,128 hospitalizations have been reported, up from 4,119 the day prior.

As of 12:10 p.m. on May 25, 397 patients were hospitalized with the disease, according to the most recent data from the Colorado Hospital Association. Within the last 24 hours, 26 patients have been transferred or discharged.

Note: 68% of facilities reported data on May 25.

This graph below 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.

Testing

According to CDPHE, 153,683 people have been tested, up from 150,308 the day prior, and 60 counties are reporting cases, the same number as the day before.

This graph below 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.

Positivity is the number of tests that come back with a COVID-19 result. Above 10% could be an indicator that not enough testing is being done and that only people likely to have COVID are getting tested.

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.

> See the latest numbers from the state health department.

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.

RELATED: The specifics of each Colorado county's safer-at-home orders

RELATED: FAQ: Dr. Kohli answers your questions about the coronavirus

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