New cases of COVID-19 fell a second week in Colorado, but they have a long way to go before they reach the record low set in June.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 2,730 cases of the new coronavirus in the week ending Sunday. That is down from a high of 4,001 cases two weeks earlier, but still well above the low of 1,136 reached mid-June.
New daily cases have generally been trending since last July. For reasons that are not entirely clear, there was a spike in people reporting symptoms of the virus on July 6, and two weeks later on July 20. Experts have suggested that the pattern may have been as a result of people relaxing their social distant precautionary measures as Colorado saw fewer cases, then bent back downward as the situation worsened.
The Colorado Hospital Association said 185 people were hospitalized Monday, the lowest total since July 8. Hospitalizations had reached their lowest level, 126, in late June, then rose through mid-July before turning down again.
Seven deaths from COVID-19 were recorded in the week ending Sunday, although the total is likely to increase as delayed reports come in. Deaths had reached their low point – 15 – in the week ending July 5, then doubled and ran 30 around each of the next four weeks.
An average of 2.8% of coronavirus tests over the last three days have been positive – well within the range of experts consider acceptable.
Since March, the state has recorded 51,039 cases of the virus and 6,627 hospitalizations. A total of 1,746 people died from the virus, and 117 died from it.
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