DENVER – State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said that if Colorado avoids an increase in COVID-19 activity at Christmas and New Year, the state is about to see numbers similar to those in the spring for the school to close. reopens in January.
The latest state-modeled data also projected Colorado could return to similar figures to the summer through mid-March if the downward trend continues. This is also when the state hopes to ensure the protection of the population against the vaccine, according to Herlihy.
However, an increase in the holiday in the next week or two could restore the state back a few weeks on this timeline.
“The fastest way to reopen, save lives and learn in January is really to prevent a Christmas and New Year’s Eve,” Herlihy said. “We really need Coloradans to step up again, just as they did on Thanksgiving, to help us contain this virus in the next few weeks, to make sure we don’t see that peak and that we can continue to be the good ones a trajectory we have traveled in the last two weeks. “
Herlihy said the best way to continue the downward trend is to only interact with people in your household, keep a distance of six meters from people, and wear a mask in public. The state website also has tips for the winter holidays to keep you safe.
Colorado’s three-day positivity rate fell to 7.3%, although it is still above the target of being below 5%. Governor Jared Polis said 1 in 59 Colorado residents is currently contagious.
As with cases, hospitalization rates are also declining, but remain high.
However, deaths from COVID-19 continued to rise steadily. Half of Colorado’s COVID-19 deaths have occurred in the past two months, according to Herlihy. Health officials anticipate that this is due to a gap in death reporting, so they hope the state will see improvements soon.
Previous data show that Colorado saw an increase in COVID-19 cases in mid-November, a small increase in cases in early December and, since then, a downward trend that has continued over the past two weeks. Even with the improvement, COVID-19 rates continue to be high in most places in the state.
Compared to the rest of the country, Colorado did better by avoiding a Thanksgiving peak. Herlihy gives this to the state’s response by moving several counties to the Red Level on the COVID-19 dial.
With Christmas a week away, Polis encouraged Coloradans to celebrate only with people in their individual households. He suggested virtual holidays, especially for families with older relatives or for anyone with health conditions that make them more vulnerable. For those who gather with people outside their households, Polis said he should be in self-quarantine for a total of 10 days before gathering.
“The worst gift you can give this holiday season is the coronavirus,” Polis said.