COVID cases remain high but on the decline county-wide

Stop by the library and get a good mask

[  By Mark Reaman  ]

For the second week in a row the number of positive COVID cases countywide has declined, but the number is still high at almost 200 cases. According to the county’s weekly update, between January 16-22 a total of 196 confirmed cases were identified in the county and another 30 probable cases were identified throughout the county.

The county recorded 442 positive cases during the first week of January with a positivity rate of 44 percent. From January 9-15 the county identified 302 confirmed cases through PCR tests.

“Case rates continued a substantial decline for a second week in a row which seems to indicate we are likely on the downslope of the Omicron surge,” said Gunnison County public information officer Loren Ahonen. “This is an optimistic sign for our community and we hope to continue trending in the right direction over the coming weeks. While case rates remain elevated, the decline in cases reflects a trend and reprieve seen in other communities.”

The county’s weekly report indicated the positivity rate stands at about 24 percent. “Continued declines in case counts are welcome news for our community, however with a positivity rate hovering around 24 percent the coronavirus is still prevalent in our community,” the report stated Monday. “Current case rates are still well above the numbers seen throughout the fall. We ask that the community continue to be mindful of mitigating exposure risk as cases decline.”

Ahonen explained that many other mountain communities in Colorado are experiencing similar declines in cases, particularly in Eagle County and other Central Mountain communities. “While their peaks appear to have been higher than ours, we are currently seeing similar case rates to many of these communities as transmission declines here and across the mountains,” he said.

Gunnison Valley Health communications director Joelle Ashley said the hospital saw some new COVID admissions in the same time period. “Last week we had four COVID-related admissions and one patient who was admitted for another reason, but was also COVID positive,” she said. “One of the COVID-related admissions required a transfer due to severity of their symptoms, but it was a smooth transfer with no major complications.”

Gunnison County Libraries will be distributing high-quality masks free to the community through a partnership with the State of Colorado. Ahonen said the county libraries in Gunnison and Crested Butte continue to have Kn95 masks available for distribution to the community. Over the course of the last week, the library system has distributed more than 8,000 high-quality masks into the community.

The primary community testing site continues operations at the South 14th Street location in Gunnison. Testing is available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Friday, testing will continue from 8 a.m.-11 a.m.

Vaccines continue to be widely available in Gunnison County through pharmacies, private providers and appointments at weekly public health clinics. To access an appointment at a weekly clinic, please call 970-641-3244. Additionally, the CDPHE mobile unit will be back in Gunnison County for three days on February 4, 5, and 6. More information on the CDPHE mobile unit schedule can be found on the county’s Vaccine Resources page.

Ahonen said there is no clear indication here about how vaccinated people are doing compared to those that are unvaccinated. “Given the inability to reach everyone in the contact tracing process, we do not have complete or accurate numbers to report on the breakdown between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations,” he said. “In general, we are aware that trends in Gunnison County reflected those seen throughout the State of Colorado with vaccinated folks contracting mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 during the surge. As viruses mutate and evolve overtime, it becomes increasingly challenging for our immune systems to recognize and respond to the traits identified through vaccination or previous infection.”