Colorado has at least 227 active COVID-19 outbreaks, state data shows
Colorado health data updated Wednesday shows the state has at least 227 active outbreaks of COVID-19.
An outbreak is defined as two or more cases being diagnosed tied to an establishment within 14 days of each other. The state data shows 65 outbreaks are now considered to be resolved by health officials.
The data indicates that the pace of new outbreaks seems to be slowing. The state data shows 145 outbreaks were confirmed in April and 123 outbreaks were confirmed in May, while seven outbreaks have been confirmed so far in June. The largest new outbreak in the state’s data is at Denver’s postal service distribution center, where the state says 14 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
The data shows the majority of the currently active outbreaks are in health care facilities. Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and combined care facilities account for 109 active outbreaks statewide, with 1,911 confirmed cases among patients and 1,281 confirmed cases among staff. The data shows 513 deaths in these facilities with active outbreaks are linked to COVID-19, and an additional 121 deaths are presumed to be linked to COVID-19 but have not been confirmed by a laboratory. The data shows two employees of these facilities have died of coronavirus.
Cherry Creek Nursing Center in Arapahoe County has reported 27 patient deaths due to confirmed COVID-19, the highest confirmed death total among outbreaks in the state.
The outbreak in the state with the highest number of cases is the Sterling Correctional Facility where 560 inmates have been confirmed to have COVID-19 and three have died. 29 staff members there have tested positive since the outbreak was first confirmed on April 14, according to the data.
In all, 14 jails, prisons and correctional facilities across the state have confirmed active outbreaks of COVID-19 accounting for 940 confirmed cases among residents and 70 confirmed cases among staff. The county jails in Denver, Weld, Washington, Douglas and Jefferson counties have all reported outbreaks, along with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contract detention center in Aurora.
The state data also shows active outbreaks at 16 grocery stores statewide that have accounted for 129 confirmed cases of illness and four deaths of people who worked in the stores. Two employees are reported to have died at the Capitol Hill King Soopers, and two staff members of the Walmart in Aurora have lost their lives. Mi Pueblo Market in Thornton has reported 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19, the highest total number of confirmed cases among grocery stores with active outbreaks in the state.
The active workplace outbreak that has accounted for the largest number of employee illness and death is at the JBS meat packing plant in Greeley, where 273 staff members have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and six people have died. The Cargill meat packing plant in Morgan County has had four employees die of the coronavirus and 89 workers who have tested positive for the virus, according to the state database.