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Aspen Public Radio will keep you informed on the latest information about the coronavirus here in Colorado and the Valley.

UPDATES: Roaring Fork Valley Coronavirus August 9-16

Alex Hager
/
Aspen Public Radio

No New Cases In PitCo In Last Six Days, But Epidemiologists Warn Against Complacency

Friday, August 14 - There hasn’t been a new coronavirus case reported among Pitkin County residents for the past six days. New case numbers in Eagle and Garfield counties are also down. In Thursday’s Pitkin County community meeting, epidemiologist Josh Vance said those decreases are in line with national and statewide trends, but no reason to get complacent. 

"Just because we haven’t those cases in the past few days, we know the virus is still here in the valley and we still need to continue to take those safeguards," Vance said.

Vance added that local declines in new cases could be thanks to the statewide mask mandate and decreases in coronavirus rates in the home states of visitors.

Health officials also warned that some symptoms of smoke exposure are the same as symptoms of COVID-19. While a dry cough and sore throat could be from inhaling smoke from nearby wildfires, chills or a fever could not. If you think you might have COVID-19, the county recommends you call your primary healthcare provider.

Governor Polis Extends Executive Orders Aimed At COVID-19 Relief 

Tuesday, August 11 - Governor Polis signed 30-day extensions on three executive orders yesterday that are aimed at COVID-19 relief. The Governor extended eviction protections for some Coloradans economically affected by the pandemic by 30 days. He also signed a 30-day extension on an Executive Order from March that suspends certain statutes to maintain eligibility for Coloradans enrolled in Medicaid the Children's Basic Health Plan. Govenor Polis also signed an extension on an executive order that suspends certain rules and statues to expand the state's healthcare workforce for hospitals and other inpatient medical facilities. 

Coronavirus Disproportionately Affects Hispanic/Latinx People In Pitkin County

Sunday, August 8 - Pitkin County health officials showed that coronavirus disproportionately affects Hispanic and Latinx people in the county.

More than 30% of August cases have affected Hispanic/Latinx people, but Hispanic/Latinx people only make up about 10.5% of Pitkin County’s population. The monthly percentage of the county’s total cases which occur in Hispanic/Latinx has risen steadily since March. 

 
The information was presented in the county’s Thursday board of health meeting alongside data showing that almost 40% of cases cannot be traced to a specific source. 

 

Alex is KUNC's reporter covering the Colorado River Basin. He spent two years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting on the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he covered the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery for KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska.
Kirsten was born and raised in Massachusetts, and has called Colorado home since 2008. She moved to Vail the day after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011. Before relocating to Basalt in 2020, she also spent a year living in one of Aspen’s sister cities, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Ariel was the News Director for Aspen Public Radio from 2020 - 2021.
Eleanor is an award-winning journalist and "Morning Edition" anchor. She has reported on a wide range of topics in her community, including the impacts of federal immigration policies on local DACA recipients, creative efforts to solve the valley's affordable housing crisis, and hungry goats fighting climate change across the West through targeted grazing. Connecting with people from all walks of life and creating empathic spaces for them to tell their stories fuels her work.
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