Colorado health officials watching COVID cases closely as hospitalizations rise in the U.S.
Serious cases of COVID-19 in Colorado have remained low throughout the summer, but it may not stay that way for long.
Driving the news: COVID hospitalization rates across the state fell 11% between June and July, despite signs of a late summer wave sweeping much of the U.S., Axios’ Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.
Yes, but: State health officials tell us COVID cases are now rising again and they have seen a “slight uptick” in hospitalizations this month.
- Colorado’s current average admissions per week are hovering around 71, up from 62 hospitalizations per week in July.
What they’re saying: Doctors are watching case numbers closely, particularly as back-to-school season gears up, Carrie Horn, chief medical officer at National Jewish Health in Denver, told Fox31 earlier this month.
- “I think we are going to see things increase a little bit more as school starts back up again. You are putting a lot of people and kids in classrooms together,” she said.
The big picture: A new variant, EG.5 or “Eris,” is now the dominant strain in the U.S., according to CDC estimates — though it’s unclear if it’s directly responsible for the rising numbers.
