Though Chaffee County’s two-week positivity rate is slightly up at 4.47 percent, there have been only 67 new cases over the past two weeks and 29 in the past seven days. Three new community cases, as well as three cases among Department of Corrections (DOC) staff, were reported on February 25 and 26.
Of the past month’s cases, 74 have been released from isolation, while another 74 remain in quarantine. Only five cases resulted in hospitalization, and more than 83 percent were symptomatic. More than 65 percent of cases were reported to be due to person-to-person spread, and only four percent were due to travel. The county currently remains at the Yellow level on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Two-week positivity rate in Chaffee County. CCPH Dashboard.
The past two weeks have taken the county’s total case count to 1,006 since the start of the pandemic last March, not including local DOC inmates. There have been 17 COVID-19-specific deaths in the county and 25 deaths among cases. Of the more than 1,000 cases, 44 were among residents of Columbine Manor, 13 were among Columbine staff, and 49 were among DOC staff.
Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) currently reports two patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of February 23rd, and the hospital is currently at 60 percent capacity. HRRMC has had 278 total cases, including 28 among employees, with three pending test results.
Testing and vaccinations continue in the county and state at a steady pace. Statewide, 1,077 new cases were reported as of February 26th with 43 new hospitalizations. The state currently has a 3.45 percent seven-day positivity rate.
According to the state’s vaccine dashboard, more than 45 percent of vaccine doses in the state’s South Central region have gone to those age 70 and up. There have been 664,034 Pfizer vaccines and 633,894 Moderna vaccines administered.
State-wide COVID vaccine status. CDPHE.
Chaffee County Public Health (CCPH) is currently monitoring the efficacy status and expected approval of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single-dose vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) preliminary analysis has shown that the J&J vaccine is 66-85 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. The J&J vaccine, which was approved for emergency use by the FDA advisory panel on February 26th, is expected to be ready for distribution in March.
Appointment-based COVID-19 Community Testing Clinics will be held at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds on March 1st, 2nd, and 4th from 10:30-11:30 a.m. A complete list of Chaffee County testing options can be found on the CCPH website.
COVID-19 CCPH Testing Clinics. CCPH.
Those who test positive will be in isolation until they meet the criteria to be released. Positive individuals also need to contact their close contacts and employers. Close contacts are anyone who was within 6 feet of the positive case for 15 minutes or more in total over 24 hours, beginning 48 hours before symptoms or a positive test if without symptoms, and should be sent the county’s general quarantine letter. A contact tracer will reach out within a few days of the positive result. Quarantine guidelines are also available on the state’s COVID-19 website.
Public health officials are also studying new COVID-19 variants to help control the spread. It is common for viruses to change through mutation, and new variants of any virus often appear over time. New variants may emerge and disappear, or they may emerge and continue to spread. More information on the new variants can be found on the state’s COVID-19 website.
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