Confirmed Colorado cases near 29,000

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Colorado neared 29,000 Wednesday, with officials tracking outbreaks at 306 facilities, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

At least 28,499 novel coronavirus cases have been confirmed through testing, according to the state health agency, which said 1,573 people have died with the coronavirus in their bodies.

At least 227,761 people in Colorado have been tested for COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and more than 5,000 people have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic.

By Thursday, only about 182 patients in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, and 18 had recovered enough to be transferred to lower levels of care or discharged in the past 24 hours, according to the state’s data.

New outbreaks of COVID-19 were reported at five facilities. At an independent living facility in Douglas County, Vi at Highlands Ranch, three residents have died from the novel coronavirus, and another death is believed to be from the virus, according to the state’s data.

At that facility, at least six residents and as many as 10 staff members have been infected.

An outbreak was also reported at Chateau Des Mons, an assisted living facility in Arapahoe County, where five residents and seven staff members tested positive.

Small outbreaks were also reported at two City Market stores in Eagle County, as well as at Mission Foods, a factory in Pueblo.