As of Sat. morning, March 7, Colorado has eight presumptive cases of the coronavirus known as COVID-19. The cases are considered “presumptive” having been tested in Colorado-based labs, but awaiting confirmation testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All eight patients who have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Colorado are being kept in isolation.
Self-quarantine is one of the recommended steps for those who might have been exposed to COVID-19. Image courtesy of the CDC.
A woman in her 50s visiting Eagle County is among the new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 identified Friday in Colorado. The woman was exposed to the new coronavirus during international travel. In response to the spread of the virus, Vail Health has begun screening patients prior to entrance into the Vail hospital.
The patient in Eagle County was not hospitalized and is recovering in isolation. Public Health officials are working with the patient in the ongoing investigation to identify people who may have had close exposure.
Three of the cases have been reported in metro Denver in Douglas County; two of them in Castle Rock. All three Douglas County cases are travel related. The first reported case there is a woman, following her return from a trip to Italy. The second presumptive case is a student back from the Philippines, and the third an unidentified adult who traveled from back an unidentified country.
The response in Douglas County so far has been the self-quarantine of the identified cases, and the cancellation of some school activities. Saturday morning, weekend events at Thunder Ridge High School and middle schools in the area were cancelled.
In Eagle County, where students from Battle Mountain High School had traveled to Italy in February, a student was tested for COVID-19, but tested negative.
A doctor in Victoria, Australia has just tested positive for COVID-19. The Victoria Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirm that he is the 11th coronavirus patient in Victoria. He appears to have been infected on a recent, 12-day trip to the U.S., where he traveled to Denver, Vail, San Francisco and Los Angles. In Australia, the doctor is reported to have seen at least 70 patients at his clinic before testing positive.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE), “We are doing everything possible to limit and slow the spread of COVID-19 in Colorado.This is a rapidly changing situation, and it’s hard to predict exactly how COVID-19 may affect our communities. What we’re seeing in other areas tells us that once spread is detected in a community, numbers can increase quickly. Given that, our recommendations may change just as quickly.”
As the situation changes, the CDPHE has announced that it will post up-to-date information on the CDPHE site.
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