Colorado tops 15,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, sees 777 deaths

There are now 15,284 lab-confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Colorado, and 777 people have died after contracting the virus, according to state data released Thursday.

About 756 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and 58 patients have been discharged or transferred to lower levels of care in the past 24 hours, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which releases daily updates.

Officials believe the number of coronavirus cases in the state is several times higher than those confirmed by lab testing.

At least 72,390 people have been tested for the disease as of Thursday, according to the agency. The state is working to ramp up its testing during the month of May, Gov. Jared Polis said Wednesday. Officials hope to go from testing between 2,000 and 3,000 people a day to testing between 5,000 and 10,000 per day as the state begins to reopen.

Polis on Monday began loosening restrictions as the state’s stay-at-home order expired, moving the state into a new phase of pandemic response dubbed, “Safer at home.”

The easing of restrictions on travel and commerce do not apply in counties or cities with local stay-at-home orders, and is the case across much of the Front Range, including in Denver, as well as Pitkin, Broomfield, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder and Gilpin counties. Those areas have extended their orders into May, most until May 8.

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