Cases of COVID-19 Rising Quickly in Larimer County
Larimer County, CO - Cases of COVID-19 have risen sharply in Larimer County, likely due to the Omicron variant. Residents will notice dramatic changes on Larimer County’s data dashboard for both the 7-day case rate and the percent positivity, which have both doubled over the past week. COVID-19 data can be viewed at www.larimer.gov/covid.
“The percent positivity is a particularly strong indicator of increasing transmission in the county,” says Tom Gonzales, Larimer County Public Health Director. “I understand that this news is disappointing. We are all very tired of dealing with SARS-COV-2, an unpredictable and frustrating virus.”
At this stage of the pandemic LCDHE remains focused on preserving the necessary hospital capacity to care for all residents. While health officials expect cases to rise rapidly with Omicron, it is unclear if there will be as many hospitalizations among Omicron cases as there were in prior waves. Despite lower case hospitalization rates, a large wave of cases may still increase total hospitalizations and challenge healthcare capacity.
Emerging data indicate that individuals that have received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are more likely to have mild symptoms if they become infected, as well as being less likely to spread the virus to others.
“There is still much to learn about the Omicron variant. It appears to be much more contagious than previous variants, including the Delta variant, however early data suggests that it may be less severe,” says Dr. Paul Mayer, Larimer County Chief Medical Officer. “Unfortunately, some of the therapeutics, such as many of the monoclonal antibody treatments previously available, are less effective against Omicron. Given this, it is difficult to predict the ultimate effect on hospital utilization. Vaccination and boosters remain our best strategy for preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death from covid.”
Health officials remind residents to take preventative measures to avoid becoming infected or transmitting the virus to others, including getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a mask indoors, increasing ventilation, getting tested if exposed or feeling sick, and washing hands frequently.
“Some members of the community remain at risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. Increased transmission and illness may cause disruptions to critical in-person activities like school and health services and we need to protect these critical infrastructures,” says Gonzales.
The Larimer County Department of Health & Environment has web pages dedicated to helping residents find information about COVID-19, including vaccination, testing, and accessing COVID-19 treatments at www.larimer.gov/covid19. Individuals may also call LCDHE at 970-498-5500 for assistance. Phone assistance is available in English and Spanish.
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