DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis renewed his plea for unvaccinated people to roll up their sleeves as Colorado’s number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds continues declining.
During a press conference Friday morning, Polis not only urged unvaccinated people to get the shot but also encouraged vaccinated people to wear a mask and limit large activities, especially indoors.
According to the governor’s latest numbers, 894 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 726 patients were not fully vaccinated while 168 had received the vaccine.
Although Polis has continually urged people to get vaccinated, his latest plea comes at a time when Colorado has the lowest number of ICU beds available since the beginning of the pandemic.
It’s important to note that COVID-19 is not the only cause for the declining number of ICU beds. Hospitals are also battling seasonal issues as well as issues that present themselves as people return to their pre-pandemic activities.
COVID-19 Incident Commander Scott Bookman also discussed Colorado hospitals’ growing issues.
According to Bookman, the current trajectory predicts that Colorado’s ICU bed availability will continue to decline. His numbers showed that the state has below 200 ICU beds available. This, as hospitals begin to implement their surge plans which include canceling scheduled surgeries, closing clinics, and bringing in additional staff members to help care for COVID patients.
Polis also spoke to Coloradans who have attempted to do their own research and who claim that experts, doctors, and elected officials are providing misleading COVID-19 information. According to Polis, true misinformation comes from people who say they have found something doctors and experts have missed.
When it comes to President Joe Biden’s latest plan to require federal workers to get a COVID shot, Polis offered little information. He told reporters that his administration is waiting to hear more from the federal government, specifically the United States Department of Labor.
Polis also pointed to the state’s latest COVID-19-related dashboard. You can view Colorado’s Vaccine Breakthrough dashboard here.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), as of Sept. 9, 2021, El Paso County reported 85,222 COVID-19 cases and 965 deaths. As of Sept. 8, 2021, five people were hospitalized due to COVID-19.
You can watch Polis’ full COVID-19 update below:
