The number of new cases of coronavirus in Colorado continued to rise Thursday, and the health department reported the largest daily jump in COVID-19 infections since May, confirming that an additional 324 people tested positive for respiratory disease.
Colorado has seen a slight increase in cases since last week, and public health officials have urged residents to avoid large social gatherings. However, the number of new coronavirus cases remains well below the peak in April, and Colorado has not experienced the type of increase in cases as seen in other states such as Arizona and Texas.
As of Wednesday, 31,479 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus since March, compared with 31,155 the day before, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The health department also confirmed the deaths of 18 other people, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 1,475. So far, 1,669 people have died with the new coronavirus in their system.
State officials have said it is unclear why Colorado is seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections. Clusters of cases have been reported in Eagle, Boulder and El Paso counties in the past few weeks. The spikes in cases in these communities are attributed to a mix of social gatherings, protests, and out-of-state travel.
The number of counties with COVID-19 cases also increased to 61 when the state health department confirmed the first case of the disease in Jackson County. Only three Colorado counties, Dolores, Kiowa, and Sedgwick, have no confirmed cases of COVID-19.
While new cases have increased, hospitalizations in the state remain low. Hospitalizations and deaths provide information on the severity of the outbreak. There were 135 people in hospitals for COVID-19 as of Thursday, according to the Colorado Hospital Association.
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