The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive is trending up in Colorado, but it’s not clear if that’s a fluke or the start of a new wave of the virus. State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said the positivity rate trended up from about 2.5% on March 17 to about 3.3% on Monday. While that meets the state’s goal of […]

Colorado’s COVID-19 cases and the percentage of tests coming back positive both ticked up over the last week, though they remained near all-time lows. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 2,488 new cases in the week ending Sunday, up from 1,598 the previous week — the first week-over-week increase in new infections since the omicron surge peaked […]

Colorado isn’t doing enough to allow people with physical disabilities to live in the general community, effectively segregating them in nursing homes in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The department laid out the allegations in a 15-page letter sent to Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday. The law requires states to offer […]

Average daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are continuing to fall in the U.S., an indicator that the omicron variant’s hold is weakening across the country. Total confirmed cases reported Saturday barely exceeded 100,000, a sharp downturn from around 800,850 five weeks ago on Jan. 16, according to Johns Hopkins University data. In New York, the number of cases went down […]

On Thursday, Colorado deactivated the state’s “crisis standards of care” that offered liability protection and guidance to hospitals and ambulance providers if they had to stretch their staff during the pandemic’s fall and winter waves. The standards for medical staffing had been in place since Nov. 9, when the state’s fifth wave was nearing its peak and the possibility of […]

Boulder County residents, visitors and students and teachers in district schools will soon no longer be required to wear a mask. County health officials on Monday night voted unanimously to drop its mask mandates, becoming the last metro area county to do away with the face-covering requirement as COVID-19 rates continue to drop precipitously. Masks will no longer be obligatory […]

Colorado should get a relative break from COVID-19 for the next few months, but it’s possible that residents could be asked to roll up their sleeves again or take other precautions in the fall, state officials said Thursday. The state’s modeling indicates as much as 80% of the population could have some immunity by the end of February because they’ve […]

Jefferson County Public Health Director Dawn Comstock offered her resignation Monday afternoon following a lengthy meeting with the county’s health board that was closed to the public. The Jefferson County Board of Health voted unanimously to accept Comstock’s resignation after about a year on the job. Comstock will be put on paid administrative leave for a time “to finalize the […]

With new COVID-19 cases falling in Colorado, public health officials expressed optimism Thursday that the state’s omicron surge has peaked — but cautioned that the virus remains widespread and hospitalizations are still very high. The percentage of tests coming back positive and the number of new cases both have been falling for about a week, though it’s not clear whether […]

The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will offer free KN95 and surgical-grade masks at public libraries, fire stations, recreation centers, VFWs, YMCAs and high-traffic community centers beginning this week. Gov. Jared Polis’ administration announced the plan late Tuesday afternoon. Mask distribution sites are listed at covid19.colorado.gov/freemasks. “We are on a mission to help Coloradans keep themselves safe, and […]