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Cases of COVID-19 have returned to levels not seen since the beginning of April, and positivity rates are at levels not seen since previous surges of the virus locally in February.
In June, 87.5% of people 12 and older who tested positive for COVID-19 were not vaccinated, according to Routt County Public Health.
“As is true throughout the U.S., right now, Routt County is seeing a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said county epidemiologist Nicole Harty.
There have been 77 new cases of the virus in the past two weeks, which puts the county in the caution metrics used on its Road to Recovery framework devised this spring. Positivity rate has surpassed 5% again, and health officials estimate about 70% of current local cases involve the more-infectious delta variant.
Cases of COVID-19 are increasing again in Routt County, and while there have been just four reported cases of the more infectious delta variant in the county, local health officials suspect this is an undercount.
Still, vaccines have proved effective against the variant and cases are primarily impacting those who have not gotten their shot.
“These variants are taking advantage of our unvaccinated populations,” said Routt County Public Health director Roberta Smith. “That is really where we’re seeing disease and severe disease.”
There were 24 new cases of the virus in the most recent week, which, while far below numbers seen in the early months of this year, is more that triple the seven cases seen two weeks ago. The two-week case total of 31 is the highest since the end of May.
As people from across the West flow into Routt County to fight the Muddy Slide Fire, public health officials are stressing that unvaccinated people should still be wearing masks, especially as the delta variant becomes…