New coronavirus cases in Colorado remain low

The number of new coronavirus cases in Colorado remains relatively low, although Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday that state officials are keeping an eye on nearby states where there are a growing number of people with the respiratory disease COVID-19.

There are 28,347 people confirmed to have the novel coronavirus, an increase 164 people from 28,183 individuals, according to the latest data from the state Department of Public Health and Environment.

“We are wearily watching Utah and Arizona, neighboring states that have both shown substantial increases in COVID-19 just in the last week,” Polis said during a press conference.

Polis noted that there is a lot of travel between the two states and Colorado, but said there are no plans for any type of checks of people coming into the state.

Cumulative hospitalizations for COVID-19 jumped this week, however, state health officials said the increase is the result of a change in reporting.

With the change, the data now include hospitalizations in cases where a person was admitted to a facility after public health officials conducted their investigation. In the past, such information was not always reported back to state or local agencies, according to a news release.

Overall, 5,025 people have been hospitalized for the new coronavirus, up 166 people from 4,859 hospitalizations. However, as of Tuesday, 180 people remain in the hospital with COVID19, according to the state health department.

As of Sunday, 1,553 people have died with COVID-19, up 10 people from 1,543 deaths. The number of people who died due to the disease also increased by 20 people, going from 1,292 deaths to 1,312 deaths.