COVID cases increase across all ages
Commissioners don’t agree with further state restrictions
Larimer County’s percentage of positive coronavirus tests is increasing across nearly all age groups — a trend worrying health officials and putting the county’s state-imposed restriction status at risk.
“We’re seeing the trend of an increased positivity in just about all ages,” Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director, said in a county commissioners meeting Tuesday.
He stressed the need to lower the numbers and prevent increased restrictions, while the elected board expressed frustration at the thought of further impositions on local businesses.
One risk factor that health officials look at with the pandemic is the percentage of all tests that are coming in positive — the lower the better. Or, as Gonzales said, “The magic number is less than 5%.”
Throughout the summer, Larimer County’s cumulative percent positivity remained about 3.5%, while sometimes the two-week rate dipped as low as 2.2%. On Tuesday, the two-week rating was 4.5%.
Gonzales noted that recent results are showing an increase from about 2% to 7% among children ages 6 to 11
as well as residents in the age ranges of 24 to 29 and 36 to 41.
He showed a graph comparing the weeks of Sept. 30 and Oct. 21 (both Wednesdays). In addition to those previously mentioned jumps, children ages 12 to 17 went from about 2% to 8%, and the ages 48 to 53 jumped to 7.5%.
“Unfortunately, our percent positivity has gone up fairly sharply in just about ever y group,” Gonzales said. “That’s very concerning. It’s not just one specific age group. It’s not just one specific thing that’s causing this increase in our case rate.”
CASES INCREASING IN OTHER COUNTIES
While the increases in cases is concerning to Larimer County of ficials — and is putting the county’s Safer at Home Level 1 status at risk — the surge in coronavirus cases is not unique to Larimer County.
“We’re not the only county,” Gonzales said. “Many, many other counties are seeing a significant increase in Colorado, as well as many of the states around us. … This is not just a Larimer County situation.”
The county was able to pinpoint some spread at youth sporting events, at workplaces between co-workers and in restaurant and bar settings where people, with the colder weather, are waiting inside in larger groups for a table to open up, often standing at the bar with their face coverings off, Gonzales said.
On Friday, the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment issued some emergency health orders to try to curb this spread, and the Colorado Depar tment of Public Health and Environment is giving the county two weeks from last Friday to bring its numbers down before evaluating the Safer at Home status, which dictates the level of statewide restrictions that Larimer County must follow.
The new health orders are: restricting youth recreational spor ts to players only from Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties and spectators to no more than two per player; capping personal indoor gatherings at no more than 10 people from two separate households; setting last call for alcohol service at 11 p.m.; and encouraging all offices to further emphasize remote work among their employees.
To keep businesses open and to keep students in the physical classrooms at school, Gonzales stressed the need to follow these rules as well as to keep wearing face coverings, staying home while sick and washing hands regularly. He asked residents to not gather inside businesses.
These targeted restrictions, he said, could help prevent blanket restrictions from the state.
COMMISSIONERS OBJECT TO STRICTER RULES
The three Larimer County commissioners — Steve Johnson, Tom Donnelly and John Kefalas — spoke of how, if the state does dial back the county’s status and impose further restrictions, that would hurt local businesses. The lower status would lessen capacities inside restaurants and other businesses.
Kefalas said he does not want to “make struggling businesses struggle more,” and Donnelly said any decision to dial back business capacities is “ridiculous” and could put establishments out of business.
“These rules (would) decimate people’s lives,” Donnelly said, noting that while the number of cases is going up, the number of people hospitalized and in critical condition with COVID-19 is still low.
Johnson pointed out that at least one other Colorado county has four weeks to bring its numbers down with new health restrictions, while Larimer County has only two, which is not enough.
He said the effects of the new health orders will just start coming to light in two weeks, and Gonzales agreed.
Johnson went so far as to say that if the state further restricts Larimer County in two weeks, he would bring a resolution to the commissioners saying they would not lock down fur ther unless they see a surge in serious cases and hospitals being unable to handle the numbers.
“We are not going to lock down our business again just based on a few numbers and a metric, unless we’re seeing a real crisis in our community,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to see a crisis in our businesses.”
Gonzales urged residents to follow the health mandates to ensure that Larimer County’s numbers decrease before the state steps in to impose further restrictions. He noted that residents have, more than once, stepped up, followed restrictions and lowered the case rate.
“This is a little bit bigger mountain we’re climbing,” Gonzales said. “And I’m going to ask all of our residents to be diligent.”