Giant box stores and grocers that dominate our roster of chains with the most COVID-19 outbreaks made their presence felt once again. The results combine the 217 first-time outbreaks with any item whose name was changed by the CDPHE since its December 2 data release - a bonus fourteen listings that contribute to a tally of 231. This number suggests that outbreaks in Colorado may be plateauing, albeit at a concerningly high level: New outbreaks have exceeded 200 every week since November 11 - a stark contrast with this past summer, when several weeks saw fewer than twenty additions.įor this week's roundup, we used a new research technique developed for Westword by Slalom consultant Nick Nist. But instead, the December 9 report added just 217 new outbreaks, for a total of 2,527 since the start of the pandemic, 1,294 under active investigation, 1,233 considered resolved. The streak was broken by the December 2 numbers, with 224 fresh sites added to the roster for a total of 2,310 outbreaks in the state - but since that week encompassed the Thanksgiving holiday, there was the expectation that the outbreak number would soon climb again.

The number of newly recognized outbreaks rose for nine consecutive weeks beginning on September 30, when the department's list grew by 53 over a seven-day period, and running through November 25, when a weekly count of 276 resulted in a then-staggering total of 2,086. The vast majority of businesses and facilities identified as outbreaks remain open while working with the department to monitor symptoms and prevent future infections. The CDPHE considers an entity an outbreak after two or more COVID-19 cases among residents, staffers or other people connected to a specific location are confirmed within a fourteen-day period, or two or more cases of respiratory illness with an onset of symptoms within a fourteen-day period are paired with at least one additional COVID-19 diagnosis. The CDPHE has confirmed sixty positive staff cases, 85 positive resident cases and seven resident deaths. For the fifth consecutive week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has added more than 200 new entries to its list of outbreaks related to COVID-19, and an increasing number have tallied death tolls higher than since the early days of the pandemic.Īn extreme example is Windsor Healthcare, a skilled-nursing facility in Weld County.

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