{"id":42843,"date":"2021-11-05T08:42:55","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T14:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=42843"},"modified":"2025-03-05T09:03:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T16:03:53","slug":"why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Colorado COVID-19 cases spiking?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_42846\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42846\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42846\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.webp\" alt=\"A UCHealth Greeley Hospital nurse puts on PPE before heading into a patient room in the hospital's ICU unit. The continued spike in Colorado COVID-19 cases has been putting a strain on UCHealth ICU capacity for several months. Photo by Kelly Tracer, UCHealth.\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny-300x214.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny-768x548.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny-150x107.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny-200x143.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42846\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A UCHealth Greeley Hospital nurse puts on protective equipment before heading into a patient room in the hospital&#8217;s ICU. The continued spike in Colorado COVID-19 cases is clogging Colorado hospitals. Photo by Kelly Tracer, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Colorado has the fifth-highest 7-day, per-capita coronavirus case count in the United States, and state forecasters say it\u2019s going to get worse before it gets better. Yet the state\u2019s vaccination rate ranks among the top one-third in the country, with about 72% of the state&#8217;s eligible population now fully vaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>Even as the root of this contradiction remains a mystery, the source of the infection spike now gripping this state is clear. Those who are unvaccinated comprise about 80% of infections. At UCHealth hospitals, that ratio holds: 78% of those hospitalized and 91% of those in ICUs are unvaccinated. The ones hospitalized despite being vaccinated are often immunocompromised or significantly older.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42848\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42848\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42848 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04160941\/covid-vaccine-hospitalizations-11-4.webp\" alt=\"Why are Colorado COVID-19 cases spiking. This chart shows the percentage of people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated in UCHealth's 12 hospitals as of Nov. 4.\" width=\"800\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04160941\/covid-vaccine-hospitalizations-11-4.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04160941\/covid-vaccine-hospitalizations-11-4-300x186.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04160941\/covid-vaccine-hospitalizations-11-4-768x476.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04160941\/covid-vaccine-hospitalizations-11-4-150x93.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04160941\/covid-vaccine-hospitalizations-11-4-200x124.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42848\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Unvaccinated Coloradans are driving the current spike in COVID-19 cases. High percentages of COVID-19 patients in UCHealth&#8217;s 12 hospitals now are unvaccinated. (Data as of Nov. 4.) Source: UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Delta variant <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.cdc.gov\/#\/details?url=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/media\/releases\/2022\/s0618-children-vaccine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is so contagious<\/a> that the vaccinated, even if they don\u2019t get as sick as they otherwise would, can catch and potentially spread it. That\u2019s resulted in about one in 51 people in Colorado being infectious \u2013 nearly as high as the infection rate during the pandemic\u2019s early, unvaccinated days of 2020. Masks in crowded indoor spaces and booster shots for those who are eligible, should be high priorities, health officials say.<\/p>\n<p>At a Nov. 2 press conference, Gov. Jared Polis painted a stark picture of Colorado&#8217;s reality now:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Among those ages 70 and above \u2013 a highly vaccinated cohort \u2013 two-thirds of Colorado coronavirus deaths are coming from perhaps 7% of the population.<\/li>\n<li>No one vaccinated and under 40 has died of COVID-19 in Colorado since July; more than 30 unvaccinated younger people in that cohort have died, Polis said.<\/li>\n<li>Among those ages 40 to 60, about a dozen who were vaccinated have died since July; among the unvaccinated, 153 have died. Polis\u2019s frustration with the unvaccinated was hard to miss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42910\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42910\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42910 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/08084321\/covid-colorado-nov-2-data-co.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/08084321\/covid-colorado-nov-2-data-co.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/08084321\/covid-colorado-nov-2-data-co-300x151.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/08084321\/covid-colorado-nov-2-data-co-768x387.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/08084321\/covid-colorado-nov-2-data-co-150x76.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/08084321\/covid-colorado-nov-2-data-co-200x101.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42910\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Souce: CDPHE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe 20% that haven\u2019t yet chosen to get protected are putting themselves at risk \u2013 which you can certainly argue is their own business, and I have no qualm if they have a death wish,\u201d the governor said. \u201cBut they\u2019re clogging our hospitals. And I think most Coloradans are sick and tired of trying to protect people who don\u2019t seem to want to protect themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42934\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42934\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-42934\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/09082210\/covid-census-110921.webp\" alt=\"This chart shows the number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections in UCHealth's 12 hospitals from the start of the pandemic in Colorado through Nov. 9, 2021. Source: UCHealth.\" width=\"800\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/09082210\/covid-census-110921.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/09082210\/covid-census-110921-300x108.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/09082210\/covid-census-110921-768x276.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/09082210\/covid-census-110921-150x54.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/09082210\/covid-census-110921-200x72.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This chart shows the number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections in UCHealth&#8217;s 12 hospitals from the start of the pandemic in Colorado through Nov. 9, 2021. Source: UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Surge in Colorado COVID-19 cases has an impact on care<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The governor\u2019s frustration echoed that of those on the front lines of Colorado health care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you gave me 10 things I could do to end this pandemic, the first nine would be to get everybody vaccinated,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/richard-zane-md-emergency-medicine\/\">Dr. Richard Zane<\/a>, the head of Emergency Medicine at the CU School of Medicine and UCHealth.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36773\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36773\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-36773 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/12\/15141642\/Zane-portrait-smiling-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Why COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Dr. Richard Zane smiles outsie the Emergency Department at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/12\/15141642\/Zane-portrait-smiling-tiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/12\/15141642\/Zane-portrait-smiling-tiny-300x196.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/12\/15141642\/Zane-portrait-smiling-tiny-768x501.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/12\/15141642\/Zane-portrait-smiling-tiny-150x98.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/12\/15141642\/Zane-portrait-smiling-tiny-200x131.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36773\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Richard Zane is calling on people to get vaccinated. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The tenth thing, he added, would be to get as many people as possible who are sick with COVID-19 but not yet hospitalized to get the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/treatment-for-covid-19-has-progressed-but-vaccines-still-paramount\/\">monoclonal antibodies<\/a> that have proven about 70% effective in preventing eventual hospitalization, he added.<\/p>\n<p>Zane says the coronavirus surge is challenging hospitals and providers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t be more emphatic about this: you\u2019re seeing health care at the breaking point in Colorado. Never in my career has it been busier. Never in my career have people been sicker,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just COVID-19 cases, he says. People who put off screening tests and routine care earlier in the pandemic are showing up with kidney failure, heart problems, diabetes complications, and advanced cancers that could have been addressed earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe acuity is much higher,\u201d Zane says. \u201cPatients require more procedures, more testing, more radiation studies, more consultations, more admissions \u2013 because they\u2019re just sicker. And the COVID patients keep coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The crowding of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-at-university-of-colorado-anschutz-medical-campus\/\">Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a> has a broader effect, he adds. The academic medical center\u2019s depth and diversity of specialists mean it often takes in seriously ill and injured patients transferred from hospitals without such resources. Bringing in those patients is becoming more difficult because the hospital is caring for so many patients with COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.cdc.gov\/#\/details?url=https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/media\/releases\/2022\/s0618-children-vaccine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Statewide limits<\/a> to elective procedures are again on the table, and \u201celective procedures\u201d can be anything but. Examples abound, but University of Colorado School of Medicine and UCHealth orthopedic surgeon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/rachel-frank-md\/\">Dr. Rachel Frank<\/a> puts one in perspective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s say you have a 16-year-old with an ACL tear. If you delay that, you\u2019re subjecting them not only to prolonged inactivity and, potentially, depression but also to possible meniscus damage and arthritis down the road,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42845\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42845\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-42845\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154424\/GH-ICU-nurse-at-window-tiny.webp\" alt=\"A UCHealth Greeley Hospital ICU nurse talks through the window to another nurse caring for the COVID-19 patient inside. Photo by Kelly Tracer, UCHealth.\" width=\"640\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154424\/GH-ICU-nurse-at-window-tiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154424\/GH-ICU-nurse-at-window-tiny-300x194.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154424\/GH-ICU-nurse-at-window-tiny-768x496.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154424\/GH-ICU-nurse-at-window-tiny-150x97.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154424\/GH-ICU-nurse-at-window-tiny-200x129.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42845\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A UCHealth Greeley Hospital ICU nurse talks through the window to another nurse caring for the COVID-19 patient on the other side. Photo by Kelly Tracer, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Why is Colorado seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The simplest reason that Colorado is seeing a leap in coronavirus cases now is that too few people have received at least one shot of the highly effective, extremely safe COVID-19 vaccine. The other part \u2013 why are case counts rising now? \u2013 is tougher to answer.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists such as Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health and head of the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu\/resources\/covid-19\/modeling-results\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colorado COVID-19 Modeling Group,<\/a> have tracked the pandemic and provided forecasts for state leaders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have sifted through explanations for Colorado\u2019s current course but have come up without a very specific explanation,\u201d wrote Samet in an email.<\/p>\n<p>At the Nov. 2 press conference, State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said that, while increased exposures through reopening of restaurants, movie theaters and other social activities have contributed to the increase in cases, it\u2019s not clear why it\u2019s happening more in Colorado than elsewhere. But seasonality may play a role, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s more than a coincidence that this is happening at the same time as last year,\u201d Herlihy said, noting that 2020 also saw a peak in hospitalizations in late November and early December \u2013 just when this year\u2019s peak is expected. \u201cI think there is something with seasonality, behavior, temperature, humidity \u2013 it\u2019s hard to really know what it might be. But it does seem like there is some element of seasonality going on here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zane suspects that the state\u2019s uneven vaccination rates <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.colorado.gov\/covid-19\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">across<\/a> its 64 counties are a contributor. Colorado counties\u2019 rates of vaccination among eligible residents who have received at least one shot range from 100% in San Juan County to 37% in Washington County. While populous counties are generally better vaccinated, there\u2019s a range there, too: 86% in Denver County, 82% in Jefferson County, 75% in Larimer County, 71% in El Paso County, and 65% in Pueblo County. It may be no coincidence that the combination of a sizable population and a low vaccination rate is contributing to Pueblo County having the state&#8217;s worst coronavirus spike. Herlihy pegged the rate of infection among the unvaccinated at between eight times and 20 times that of the vaccinated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really giant holes of unvaccinated people, and gives the virus the opportunity to spread like wildfire,\u201d Zane said.<\/p>\n<p>For Zane and colleagues, the disconnect between the extraordinary stresses that hospitals are enduring and the relative normalcy outside of them is striking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are behaving as though this is not happening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colorado has the fifth-highest 7-day, per-capita coronavirus case count in the United States, and state forecasters say it\u2019s going to get worse before it gets better. Yet the state\u2019s vaccination rate ranks among the top one-third in the country, with about 72% of the state&#8217;s eligible population now fully vaccinated. Even as the root of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":42846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4859,4860,392],"class_list":["post-42843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-infection-prevention"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why are Colorado COVID-19 cases spiking? - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The exact causes of Colorado&#039;s high infections are a mystery, but 20% who are unvaccinated comprise about 80% of COVID-19 cases in Colorado.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why are Colorado COVID-19 cases spiking?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The exact causes of Colorado&#039;s high infections are a mystery, but 20% who are unvaccinated comprise about 80% of COVID-19 cases in Colorado.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-05T14:42:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-05T16:03:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/11\/04154427\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\"},\"headline\":\"Why are Colorado COVID-19 cases spiking?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-05T14:42:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-05T16:03:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1302,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/04154427\\\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"coronavirus\",\"COVID-19\",\"Infection prevention\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why are Colorado COVID-19 cases spiking? - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/04154427\\\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-05T14:42:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-05T16:03:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"The exact causes of Colorado's high infections are a mystery, but 20% who are unvaccinated comprise about 80% of COVID-19 cases in Colorado.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/why-are-colorado-covid-19-cases-spiking\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/04154427\\\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/04154427\\\/GH-ICU-nurse-gloves-tiny.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":571,\"caption\":\"A UCHealth Greeley Hospital nurse puts on PPE before heading into a patient room in the hospital's ICU unit. 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