Area hospitals continue to be near full due to the prevalence of COVID-19 patients
As of Friday, 97.7% of staffed ICU beds were in use, as were 94.3% of hospital beds and 62.2% of ventilators, according to data from Mesa County Public Health. Those figures come as the county continues to see high COVID-19 case counts, particularly with the Delta variant, and a plateauing of vaccination rates.
âIf they happen to reach full capacity, there are plans in place to increase capacity,â said Amanda Mayle, spokesperson for MCPH. âThat looks differently for each hospital. But theyâve assured us that plans are in place.â
Memorial Day weekend 2021 was memorable on many fronts, with the return of the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series, the official opening of the lower half of the Palisade Plunge hiking and biking trail, and a celebration of the opening of the River Park at Las Colonias that was delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
During Thursdayâs riverfront celebration, Chris Castilian, the executive director of Great Outdoors Colorado, noted that a person could ride a bike from the top of Grand Mesa to the Utah border âbecause of the vision this community collaboratively has put together for an inclusive opportunity to get outside and recreate. Itâs not something you find everywhere.â