{"id":43807,"date":"2022-01-09T09:10:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-09T16:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=43807"},"modified":"2024-07-18T14:37:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T20:37:19","slug":"omicron-is-in-colorado-worry-for-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/omicron-is-in-colorado-worry-for-hospitals\/","title":{"rendered":"Omicron in Colorado surges, positivity rates and case numbers are staggering"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Omicron
Omicron is in Colorado and is perhaps twice as contagious as a delta variant that was about twice as contagious as the \u201coriginal\u201d variant. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Todd Neff and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon<\/p>\n

Omicron cases in Colorado are surging with staggering infection rates and eye-popping positivity results \u2014 well over 25% for those seeking COVID-19 tests.<\/p>\n

“There has been a huge surge in the number of cases. Everybody knows someone with omicron right now,”\u00a0said Dr. Michelle Barron<\/a>, senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth<\/a>\u00a0and a\u00a0professor of medicine and infectious diseases<\/a> at the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While infections in Colorado and around the world have set records, hospitalizations also have been increasing, albeit at less dramatic rates. Even so, Barron and others are bracing for a possible flood of patients \u2014 mostly unvaccinated \u2014 who become so sick with omicron that they need care in already overcrowded hospitals.<\/p>\n

“One in 10 people in Colorado have COVID-19 right now. That’s a big percentage. Who is going to get really sick with omicron? It’s those who are unvaccinated and those who are vulnerable,” Barron said.<\/p>\n

\"Omicron
Omicron infections in Colorado are spiking to record levels, far higher than earlier peaks throughout the pandemic. Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One striking difference is emerging among patients who have COVID-19 and are hospitalized in UCHealth facilities now. Doctors are seeing more people who happen to have COVID-19 rather than those who need care because of a COVID-19 infection.<\/p>\n

About one-third of hospitalized patients who tested positive for COVID-19 needed care because they are severely ill with COVID-19 while about two-thirds of hospitalized patients who tested positive actually sought care for a different reason and didn\u2019t need treatment for the virus.<\/p>\n

Barron cited the example of a person who breaks a leg while skiing and needs care related to the ski accident. When the patient comes to the hospital for help, they also get tested for COVID-19 and some might learn that they happen to have a COVID-19 infection. Nearly all COVID-19 infections in Colorado now stem from the omicron variant, which is out-competing the delta variant. Some patients may have minor symptoms of COVID-19, like the sniffles and congestion. Others are asymptomatic and have no idea that they’re positive for the virus. Thankfully, many of these patients do not need advanced treatments for COVID-19 ranging from monoclonal antibodies to oxygen to ventilation and life-saving care in intensive care units (ICUs).<\/p>\n

It’s new for a high percentage of patients to happen to test positive for COVID-19 while seeking care for a different reason. Barron thinks this new trend relates to the incredibly infectious nature of the omicron variant and the decreased severity of illness tied to omicron.<\/p>\n

“In the past, COVID-19 was driving hospital admissions,” Barron said.<\/p>\n

Now, omicron has sparked a new chapter in the pandemic.<\/p>\n

“Omicron is very different from delta,” Barron said.<\/p>\n

Her team is seeing the following trends:<\/p>\n