This roundup from Friday, April 3 is updated multiple times a day with coronavirus news from Colorado Springs, the Pikes Peak region and elsewhere in Colorado.
- LlST: What's open, what's closed
- MAP: Coronavirus cases in Colorado
- By The Numbers: Coronavirus in Colorado
- Updates from around the state Thursday, April 2
The latest around Colorado and the world
FRIDAY
- There are a total of 111 Colo. COVID-19 deaths, an increase of 14 since Thursday. 18 deaths total in El Paso County, the most in the state.
- Worldwide cases are up to 1,098,249 and 58,867 deaths. The U.S. has 277,350 cases and 7,192 deaths.
- Cases in Colo. by sex: women-51.47%, men-48.09%, unknown-0.43%. Deaths by sex: women-37.84%, men-62.16%.
- Enrollment in the state’s healthcare has been extended until now until April 30th for folks who might now need it. More here.
- Coping with coronavirus around Colorado | Looking for work.
- The age group with the highest amount of cases in the state is 50-59 years at 18.24%, followed by 30-39 years at 16.06%. The group with the lowest amount of cases is 0-9 years at 1.03%.
- According to CDC data, COVID-19 testing has dropped since March 17. After that date, the amount of testing done in the U.S. has gone down despite the increasing rate of infection. Private companies have started doing testing, allowing for less access to data and an inaccurate measure of coronavirus information in general as health organizations cannot effectively track data.
- Nearly 96% of Americans now under stay-at-home orders.
- Daily death toll in the U.S. soars to 1,429. Over 7,200 total.
- The county with the most cases is Denver at 716, followed by Arapahoe at 500 and Jefferson at 440. El Paso County has 374 cases.
- Worldwide cases are up to 1,097,009 and 58,287 deaths. The U.S. has 275,849 cases and 7,090 deaths.
- U.S. reports over 1,100 new deaths in the country today. The most in one day since beginning of outbreak. More expected before day's end.
- At least 14 states are now exempting church/religious gatherings from stay-at-home and social distancing orders, disregarding potential for virus spread.
- Official numbers from state health officials show 4,173 new cases in Colorado, an increase of 445 over yesterday.
- The task force launched to help Team USA Olympic athletes cope with COVID-19-related psychological fallout brought on by the postponing of this summer's Tokyo Games was laid two months ago, even if that wasn’t the initial intent. More here.
- Unemployment rate jumps to 4.4%, The worst since 2009 as many Americans worry that stimulus checks are too little, too late.
- 55 jurisdictions now reporting cases, according to the CDC: (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told City Council he expects Gov. Jared Polis to extend the stay-at-home order through April 30.
"If the governor is not going to make it an order I am not going to make it an order," Suthers said.
- CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings, especially in places like grocery stores and restaurants and other essential places.
- 1,094 new deaths in the U.S. today. This is the most in one day so far.
- El Paso County has 18 deaths, the most in the state. Weld County has 16 and Denver 14.
- Colorado Case Summary (Note: This summary only includes data through 4/2 and does not reflect cases since then):
- 4,173 cases
- 823 hospitalized
- 53 counties
- 22,071 people tested
- 111 deaths
- 27 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities
- President Trump stated today that the virus "is ending," despite the data, and that it and its effect on the economy was "artificially induced."
- In a reversal, the Regional Transportation District will soon allow passengers to board buses from the rear door.
- President Donald Trump stated in a press conference that the CDC recommends voluntary use of non-surgical masks.
- Three deputies at El Paso County jail have tested positive for COVID-19, a day after announcing that an El Paso County jail deputy died. More here.
- According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, Americans who primarily get news through social media are least likely to follow COVID-19 coverage and can be detrimentally under-informed and misinformed.
- Gov. Polis: All Coloradans need to wear non-medical face masks, even if healthy. Read the full story here.
- Total global cases are at 1,083,084 and 58,243 deaths. U.S. total cases are at 266,671 with 6,921 total deaths.
- Germany is testing an enhanced version of 100-year-old tuberculosis drug as a potential vaccine for coronavirus. Both are respiratory conditions.
- Colorado nears 100 coronavirus-related deaths and 700 hospitalizations only a month after Colorado had its first official case. Full story here.
- Total global cases are at 1,076,017 and 58,004 deaths. U.S. total cases are at 261,438 with 6,700 total deaths.
- The 200,000 stockpiled protective masks that Vice President Mike Pence talked about yesterday at a press conference are for private companies to sell to the highest bidder, including U.S. states and other countries. President Donald Trump puts blame for lack of PPE and responsibility on America's governors. Trump claims protective gear is just a "back-up" for states. Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner said the equipment is not for the states.
- Denver County has the most COVID-19 cases at 643, followed by Arapahoe at 441 and Jefferson at 385. El Paso County is fourth at 340. Check back here after 4 p.m. for updates to all Colorado coronavirus statistics.
- The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee donated 3,100 cases of non-perishable food to Care and Share Food Bank. The food was scheduled to be sent to Tokyo for American athletes during the 2020 Olympics. Read more here.
- The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources are reminding people to resist the temptation to travel to the mountains for recreational activities. As defined under Governor Polis’ statewide Stay-At-Home order, travel is limited to what is absolutely critical, such as obtaining food or medicine.
- A day after announcing that an El Paso County jail deputy died of COVID-19, the Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that two other deputies who work at the jail have contracted the virus. Read more here.
- The Colorado Department of Natural Resources announced that its executive offices and the large majority of its divisions statewide have closed their offices to in-person visits until at least April 11, but mostly likely longer, but remain accessible via phone and email and open for business.
- When the class of 2020 graduates from the Air Force Academy on April 18, they will get to toss their hats amid the roar of F-16 fighter jets. The Air Force Thunderbirds will fly over the graduation ceremony, which is still being planned. Read more here.
- The Army has traditionally been where America's turns to fight infectious diseases, and now lawmakers are looking at boosting its troubled program in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. That's because the service has been a leader since the Revolutionary War in tackling outbreaks of what in the late 1700s was called "camp fever," and later became expert in keeping its troops safe. Read more here.
- A record-long streak of U.S. job growth ended suddenly in March after nearly a decade, as employers slashed hundreds of thousands of jobs because of the viral outbreak that has all but shut down the U.S. economy. Read more here.
- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office sent a message to families and loved ones of inmates in the El Paso County jail. In the letter, the letter acknowledges that it is likely that inmates and staff will become infected and that they sheriff's office has "implemented some very restrictive housing measures." Read the letter here.
- Gov. Jared Polis issued guidance to municipalities across Colorado who are preparing for upcoming elections: encouraging absentee methods of voting where possible; following the social distance guidance provided in Public Health Order 20-24; encouraging early voting and voting during off-peak hours, where voter crowds may be smaller throughout the day; drive-up voting or ballot drop off for eligible voters; consulting guidance provided by CML and local health agencies regarding how to safely conduct municipal elections.
- Two new coronavirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities in El Paso County were confirmed Thursday, bringing the number of outbreaks in non-hospital care settings to five in Colorado Springs. Read more here.
- Christians in China’s underground church network returned a coronavirus favor from New Life Church in Colorado Springs, which is now passing the bounty on to the community. New Life received medical gloves, suits and more than 4,000 medical masks, which now are being delivered to Colorado Springs' health care facilities. Read more here.
- The Paycheck Protection Program, which allocates $349 billion in forgivable loans to help small businesses, independent contractors, and nonprofits meet payroll and rent needs, allows for businesses to begin applying for the loans on Friday, which will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Application here.
- Fort Carson soldiers worked to convert a Seattle football stadium into a 250-bed hospital that will treat noncoronavirus patients so that civilian hospitals can focus on those with the deadly, flu-like disease. Read more here.
- Colorado Springs-area school districts are partnering to offer free breakfast and lunch to children, regardless of which district they attend, during extended school closures. Find more information and a map here.
THURSDAY
- Men have accounted for 60.82% of Colorado coronavirus deaths, women 39.18%.
- Shortage of protective equipment in Colorado hitting home health care workers hard. Read more.
- The Thompson and Poudre school districts announced Thursday that they will only continue with online classes for the remainder of 2019-2020 academic year.
- Unemployment filings reached 6.6 million last week in the U.S. It is the highest number of initial claims in history.
- There are now 1,003,157 cases worldwide and 52,083 deaths. In the U.S. there are 214,254 cases and 6,004 deaths.
- The World Health Organization reports 206 countries, areas, or territories with coronavirus outbreaks.
- The age group with the most COVID-19 cases in the state is 50-59 years at 18.24%, followed by 30-39 years at 15.83%. The age group with the least amount of cases is 0-9 years at 1.05%.
- The county with the most cases is Denver at 643, followed by Arapahoe at 441 and Jefferson at 385. El Paso County is fourth at 340.
- 1,007,977 cases worldwide and 52,771 deaths. 240,120 cases in the U.S. and 5,794 deaths.
- Colorado Case Summary. Note: This summary only includes data through 4/1 and does not reflect cases since then.
- 3,728 cases
- 710 hospitalized
- 51 counties
- 19,788 people tested
- 97 deaths
- 21 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities
- 90% of Americans now under stay-at-home orders.
- Coping with coronavirus around Colorado | 'Never have I ever seen anything like this.' More here.
- El Paso County GOP condemned after asking if COVID-19 is a hoax. Full story here.
- Fort Carson soldiers turned a Seattle football stadium into a 250-bed hospital to help coronavirus patients Thursday as Washington patient numbers reach over 6,000. Read full story here.
- El Paso County sheriff's deputy with coronavirus dies. Full story here.
- New studies find that Malaria drug may speed up COVID-19 recovery. These are early findings and not yet confirmed.
- Worldwide cases 998,000-plus and 51,300-plus deaths. Cases in the U.S. 234,462 and 5,607 deaths.
- Relief checks will now be mailed or deposited April 13 at the earliest instead of April 6 and may take up to 20 weeks according to new estimates from the Trump administration provided to House Democrats and outlined in a memo circulated this week by Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee.
- Experts tell White House coronavirus can spread through talking and even breathing.
- Worldwide cases near 1 million and 52,000 deaths. There are 226,374 cases in the U.S. and 5,316 deaths.
- Coronavirus cases in Colorado could be four to 10 times the figure being reported daily by the state, due to the lack of testing availability, the state's incident commander for the virus said Thursday.
If such is the case, as many as 33,420 Coloradans may have the virus, based on the latest diagnosis number released by the state: 3,342 as of Wednesday evening. Read more here.
- More from article referenced above: When asked if the state's goals of setting up thousands of hospital beds and acquiring thousands of ventilators by mid month in preparation for a potential surge that could occur between now and July was realistic, Mike Willis, the director of the state emergency operations center, acknowledged it's a "tall order."
"We're very concerned," he said. "It's a heavy lift, and a lot of things have to come together very, very rapidly."
Most temporary surge sites are in the contract/leasing phase, and construction has not begun on any sites, he added.
- The State of Colorado announced an April 30 extension COVID-19 special enrollment period for individual health insurance. The original emergency regulation for uninsured Coloradans was set to end Friday. This continued effort comes from the Colorado Department of Insurance and Connect for Health Colorado.
“We want to do everything we can to ensure Coloradans have the resources they need during this difficult time,” Gov. Jared Polis said in the release. “As this pandemic continues, we know that having health insurance will be critical, which is why we are extending this enrollment period. Everyday my administration is evaluating what steps we can take to minimize the health impact and economic impact of this crisis.”
- An El Paso County sheriff's deputy has died after showing symptoms of the coronavirus and self-isolating. Read more here.
- In an effort to help protect medical professionals on the front lines in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis recently sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence requesting ventilators, masks, gowns and other medical equipment. Read more here.
- First-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Colorado more than tripled last week to 60,784 as a wave of job losses due the coronavirus pandemic swept across the state, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday. Read more here.
- The global shortage of gloves and masks needed to keep medical professionals protected from the coronavirus is hitting home health care workers hard and has forced some employees to go without proper equipment or entirely unprotected, industry representatives and employees in Colorado say. Read more here.
- The El Paso County Republican Party asked in a social media post Wednesday whether its followers believe the coronavirus is a hoax meant to manipulate the public — a suggestion that drew swift and widespread condemnation from other Republicans. Read more here.
- For the second time in a week, plans to transition the City Auditorium into an isolation shelter to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from ravaging the city’s homeless population hit an eleventh-hour roadblock. The effort was put on hold late Wednesday “due to unforeseen insurance and staffing complications." Read more here.
- Gov. Jared Polis put it in stark terms: The state's hospitals can't currently "treat everybody who might get sick and has the potential to get better." Full story here.
- Visiting mountain towns while the coronavirus sweeps the country is "just dumb," Polis said at a news conference.
- The number of layoffs across Colorado due to the coronavirus pandemic has ballooned to nearly 5,000 from 37 employers, according to notices filed in the past two weeks with the state. The numbers are from hotels, restaurants, movie theaters and car dealers. Nearly 2,000 of those employees were furloughed from The Broadmoor and the Great Wolf Lodge. Read more here.
KEY LINKS
- More full coverage of coronavirus in Colorado.
- LIST: Stores offering special shopping hours for seniors during the pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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