Courtesy of Dr. Brooke Allen
Throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, rates of new COVID-19 cases continue to rise. New cases transmitted over Thanksgiving are just beginning to trickle into county data, exacerbating virus rates that were already higher than any other point in the pandemic.
Hospitals in the area are edging closer to capacity, especially Garfield County, and leaders in Pitkin County are hoping a new travel affidavit for visitors will help stem another rise in local cases as the busy holiday season picks up.
A spate of deaths in Garfield County
Garfield County reported 10 new COVID-19 deaths in just one week, with eight of the deaths occurring between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. The other two happened earlier in November, but were reported to the coroner’s office later. The virus has killed sixteen people in Garfield County since the pandemic began, with two more deaths pending confirmation.
State announces COVID vaccine distributions
AP
FILE - This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer s COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Pfizer and BioNTech say they ve won permission Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in Britain, the worldâs first coronavirus shot thatâs backed by rigorous science and a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic. (Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File)
and last updated 2020-12-11 20:35:15-05