Facing Surge of Cases, Colorado Hospitals Can Turn Patients Away

11/4/21
 
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from The New York Times,
11/3/21:

Colorado is experiencing its worst coronavirus wave in a year and its overwhelmed hospitals are now allowed to turn away new patients.

An executive order, signed on Sunday by Gov. Jared Polis, allowed hospitals to redirect incoming patients. Many medical facilities have reported being over 90 percent capacity, with severe staffing shortages.

Covid hospitalizations in Colorado have increased 14 percent in the last two weeks. The state’s new daily cases have also increased 14 percent in two weeks, and recently reached their highest level since their peak in November 2020, according to a New York Times database.

Hospitals in Larimer County, where vaccine hesitancy is fueling a surge, are using 110 percent of their I.C.U. beds, according to the local health department.

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