Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Adam and his friends met for oysters and wine at Angelo s Taverna in Denver s Capitol Hill neighborhood to celebrate his birthday, just a few days after dining in was allowed again. Jan. 5, 2020.
In the space of a few weeks starting around Halloween, the number of COVID-19 patients in Dr. Sandeep Vijan’s Pueblo hospital grew from 10 to almost 140.
“We were at that point all hands on deck for COVID care,” said Vijan, chief medical officer at Parkview Medical Center. Staff were pushed to the limit as they shut down all non-emergency surgeries and triaged resources. At one point they were so full they had to transfer COVID patients to other hospitals. The county brought a freezer truck to the coroner’s office to handle the bodies.