This post will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Update: 4:00 p.m.
---Updated State Health Department Numbers Show Nearly 100 Deaths As A Result Of COVID-19---
The state now has close to 100 deaths as a result of COVID-19.
Updated data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment indicates 3728 known positive cases of COVID-19, with 710 hospitalizations and 97 deaths. There are 21 known outbreaks at residential and non-hospital healthcare facilities.
The data is complete through Wed., April 1. Known cases include both positive test results and those who have had close contact with people who have tested positive and exhibit symptoms.
In Southern and Southeastern Colorado counties, known cases of COVID-19 are the following:
- El Paso – 340 (+26)
- Douglas – 171 (+13)
- Pueblo – 28*
- Chaffee – 18 (+1)
- Baca – 9 (+7)
- Teller – 7
- Elbert – 5
- Kit Carson – 4
- Alamosa – 4
- Costilla – 3
- Otero – 3
- Fremont – 2
- Huerfano – 1
- Crowley – 1
- Lincoln – 1
- Las Animas – 1*
- Custer – 1 (+1)
- Kiowa – 0
* State data reflects 26 known positive cases of COVID-19 in Pueblo County. Health officials in Pueblo say there are 28. Also, Las Animas County announced the first known positive case there today.
Update: 12:45 p.m.
---El Paso County Deputy Dies Of COVID-19---
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says 41-year-old Deputy Jeff Hopkins has died from COVID-19. Deputy Hopkins has worked for the Sheriff's Office since 2001 and held a number of assignments in the Detention and Law Enforcement Bureaus.
Update: 11:40 a.m.
---Las Animas County Records First COVID-19 Case---
Las Animas County has recorded its first known COVID-19 case. The Las Animas-Huerfano Counties District Health Department says the case is a 24-year-old woman who had recently traveled out-of-state. She is currently self-isolating at home.
Earlier this week, the health department there issued an order for residents who travel out of state or to COVID-19 hotspots in Colorado to self-quarantine for 14 days to help prevent the spread of the disease within the Southern Colorado community.
Update--11:25 a.m.:
---Heart Of The Rockies Regional Medical Center Confirms Second Chaffee County Death---
The Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida has confirmed the second death in Chaffee County as a result of COVID-19.
According to the medical center, the deceased is an 87-year-old woman and resident of the Columbine Manor Care Center. She came in for medical care for respiratory distress on Tues. March 31 and passed away on Wednesday evening, April 1.
The first death in Chaffee County associated with COVID-19 was an 83-year-old man with underlying health conditions.
One COVID-19 patient was hospitalized on March 23 at the medical center and has since been discharged. Public health officials say Chaffee County currently has 19 known positive COVID-19 cases.
9:35 a.m.:
---The El Paso County Republican Party Suggested In A Now-Deleted Facebook Post That COVID-19 Is A Hoax---
In a short-lived Facebook post, the Republican Party in El Paso County raised the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic might be a hoax meant to influence the public.
The message was posted on Wednesday and deleted by the middle of the day after the state party asked local GOP officials to remove it.
Read more from CPR's Bente Birkeland.
Morning:
--Latest State Numbers On Known COVID-19 Cases In Colorado---
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 3,342 known cases of COVID-19 in the state. This data is through Tues., March 31, and represents an increase of 376 cases over the previous report. The number of cases include people who tested positive for COVID-19 and people who public health officials determined were highly likely to have the virus due to their contact with someone who tested positively and exhibited symptoms.
The department also reported 620 hospitalizations and 80 deaths as a result of COVID-19.
In Southern Colorado counties, known cases of COVID-19 are the following:
- El Paso – 314
- Douglas – 158
- Pueblo – 28*
- Chaffee – 17
- Teller – 7
- Elbert – 5
- Kit Carson – 4
- Alamosa – 4
- Baca – 3
- Costilla – 3
- Otero – 3
- Fremont – 2
- Huerfano – 1
- Crowley – 1
- Lincoln – 1
- Las Animas – 0
- Custer – 0
* Pueblo County health officials released an update Wednesday afternoon that reflects a total of 28 known positive cases there. That's six more added to the state's current available data for a total of 28.
