Statewide hospitalizations expected to surpass April record within days

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — As El Paso County reports a record-setting day for COVID-19, health officials warn, if trends continue, hospital capacity statewide will exceed the springtime bed count by the end of the week.

"We're almost at the same level of hospitalizations that we saw in the spring,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. “With current transmission rates, we expect to exceed that rate within the next two to three days."

Herlihy says COVID-19 models show cases have surpassed the state’s April wave. However, she points out that better testing ability plays a major role in those numbers.

People of all age groups are going to the hospital for the virus now, according to Dr. Jon Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.

"It’s not just old people in the hospital," Samet said. "Young people are in the hospital, middle-aged people are in the hospital.”

The strain on Colorado's hospitals could come from out of state as well.

“You can imagine in our surrounding states that are less populated with less hospitals overall, they may look to Colorado for help in the near future,” said Dr. Eric France, Chief Medical Officer for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.

And if Colorado stays on its current path, health officials predict ICU beds could run out by late December.

“If we follow past behaviors from the holidays, when we get together, travel, this could make the situation even worse,” Samet said.

The state of Colorado recommends everyone get a flu shot this year to cut down on the number of flu-related hospitalizations.