According to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment data, more than 50% of new COVID-19 cases in Colorado are now due to the Delta variant of the SARS CoV-2 virus.
Not only does Delta spread very easily, it causes more hospitalizations than the Alpha variant. Unvaccinated people remain the highest risk of illness. The efficacy of vaccines against the Delta variant is estimated to be 88%, which is a little lower than the originally calculated efficacy of 93-94% for mRNA vaccines. This means that as Delta spreads, Coloraodo can expect to see a small increase in the number of “breakthrough” cases in people who have been vaccinated. So far, breakthrough cases are usually mild and rarely hospitalized.
Public Health officials are concerned that the high number of unvaccinated eligible residents of the San Luis Valley (over 23,000) will provide Delta with an opportunity to spread very quickly in our community.
If you are not yet vaccinated, please make every effort to get vaccinated and meanwhile, protect yourself and others by wearing a mask in public indoor spaces.
Positivity rates in Conejos and Saguache Counties are high right now. High positivity rates mean it is likely that a significant number of cases are going untested. Given that these two counties definitely have the Delta variant present, Delta is expected to be confirmed soon in more SLV countie.
There are currently 58 known active cases of COVID-19 in the San Luis Valley.
- Alamosa County -18
- Conejos County – 25
- Costilla County -0
- Mineral County – 0
- Rio Grande County – 7
- Saguache County – 8
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