Among the first Coloradans to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were residents and employees of nursing homes and other senior-care centers in the state. But while these efforts initially seemed to be eliminating outbreaks at such facilities, that s clearly not the case. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has reported nearly 100 outbreaks at health-care sites in the past two weeks, with the category surpassing outbreaks at K-12 schools for the first time in months.
The CDPHE considers an entity an outbreak after two or more COVID-19 cases among residents, staffers or other people connected to a specific location are confirmed within a fourteen-day period, or two or more cases of respiratory illness with an onset of symptoms within a fourteen-day period are paired with at least one additional COVID-19 diagnosis. The vast majority of businesses and facilities identified as outbreaks remain open while working with the department to monitor symptoms and prevent future
Chinook Trail Middle School Colorado College Campus Wide Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind
Colorado Springs Charter Academy Resolved investigation status Columbia Elementary School Coronado High School
CPCD Modular Falcon 1 Resolved investigation status Discovery Canyon Campus (Elementary, Middle and High School) Eagleview Middle School Early Connections Learning Centers at Antlers Child Care Center
Early Connections Learning Centers at the Day Nursery Child Care Center Resolved investigation status
Eastlake High School Resolved investigation status
Ellicott Elementary School Resolved investigation status
Ellicott Middle School Resolved investigation status
Ellicott Senior High School Resolved investigation status
Evangelical Christian Academy Resolved investigation status
Last week s Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment update on outbreaks of COVID-19 showed a significant drop in newly identified sites, suggesting that the worst might finally be over for retail establishments, health-care centers and other facilities. But no: The latest weekly CDPHE outbreak number is almost double that from just seven days earlier. Moreover, one of the new entries, the Apple Store at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, demonstrates how difficult it is for even the most diligent operations to keep the novel coronavirus at bay indefinitely.
In a November post about COVID-19 safety at malls in Level Red zones, we singled out the Cherry Creek Apple Store as the gold standard for pandemic-era safety: masked staff, monitored access complete with temperatures taken at the door, appointment scheduling, extremely limited capacity and more. If an outlet that s instituted such procedures isn t immune from viral spread, then nowhere is entirely safe and right no