A common ingredient in many of the new COVID-19 outbreaks identified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is fun. Under current circumstances, having a good time comes at a risk.
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 infections.
The February 10 survey reveals 895 outbreaks under active investigation and 2,806 considered resolved, for a total of 3,701 over the course of the pandemic. That s an increase of 124 in the week since our February 3 update, which totaled 3,577 outbreaks (924 active, 2,653 resolved).
This bump came despite a continuing decline in the number of nursing homes and assisted living centers experiencing outbreaks. The health-care category led these lists for months, but on February 3, it fell behind outbreaks at K-12 schools an indication that vaccinations of residents and staffers at such facilities, who began receiving inoculations in December, are having a positive effect. On February 10, fifteen health-care operations joined the outbreaks roster, up from eleven on February 3 but only ten are identified as specializing in senior services, and half of those outbreaks actually date back weeks, likely due to a lag in communication between local and state public-health agencies.