Colorado’s coronavirus deaths reach 226 and cases top 6,200 as older data added to state tallies – The Denver Post

At least 226 people have now died of complications related to the novel coronavirus in Colorado and more than 6,200 people have tested positive for COVID-19 — a significant spike in numbers caused by older cases just now being reported to the state, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Thursday.

These deaths and positive test results occurred days and even weeks prior, but were not reported to the state until Thursday, the agency tweeted. “This could make it appear as though there are false spikes in day-to-day cases.”

The new data included 33 additional deaths announced since Wednesday as well as 547 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory illness caused by the virus.

Health officials also confirmed 1,221 hospitalizations across the state, up 59 from the prior day, and 54 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities, 10 more than were announced Wednesday.

The state health department announces daily totals of new coronavirus deaths and other data based on what’s reported up from Colorado’s counties; though the deaths and confirmed cases may be announced on a particular day, they may have occurred any time in the past and are just now being reported to the state.

Health officials have cautioned since the outbreak began that numbers will lag due to a lack of testing. There could be as many four to 10 times as many people infected with COVID-19 than show up in the state data, officials previously said and reiterated on Thursday.

While testing has now surpassed 31,000 people, officials acknowledged Thursday that their capabilities have slowed a bit in recent days due to a lack of personal protection equipment and sterile swabs to collect specimens for testing. Following a lull to 1,296 tests conducted Tuesday, that number rebounded to 2,215 on Wednesday.

Despite the increasing number of deaths and positive cases in the state, strong social distancing has pushed a potential peak in patients to May at the earliest, Scott Bookman, the state’s incident commander for COVID-19, said on a conference call with reporters.

Those measures, plus the governor’s stay-at-home order, have push the curve to the right, preventing health care facilities from being overwhelmed, he said. Health officials have said a peak further in the future gives the state more time to find beds, ventilators and staff to give better care and save more lives.

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