Rick Langenberg
The COVID epidemic is gone in Teller County as far as mandates, health restrictions and mask rules.
Another booster shot has been added to the lineup, but with few takers locally. And local elected leaders aren’t talking too much these days about COVID. In addition, testing sites have been greatly reduced.
But the pandemic is still not ready to leave the region, with the latest numbers not indicating any plunge toward a downward trend, or the elimination of the deadly disease in the area.
According to the latest COVID report, provided by the city of Cripple Creek, 89 new cases were added during the month of September. This surpasses the previous month, which recorded 81 cases.
In the most recent week of recording, Teller averaged 3.3 cases per day, which marks a monthly increase from 2.8.
And according to the COVID report, usually prepared by Paul Harris, a member of the county’s COVID task force, all three of the main metrices that gauge COVID are showing upwards trends. Based on the latest statistics, Teller has gotten hit with 5,638 COVID cases since the epidemic began.
The area’s one-week cumulative incident rate puts Teller into a more dangerous yellow zone. Previously Teller was given a blue, relatively safe designation.
Under the new statistics, the county on a per capita basis is averaging 129 cases per 100,000 people, in the most recent week of recording. This isn’t good, as the county had previously dropped to 68.6 infected people on a 100,000 per capita basis.
For the two-week cumulative rate, Teller has hit the orange zone, with 209 cases per 100,000 people.
The positivity rate for the county has also worsened, with a 10.3 percent rate, which is nearly doubled from a previous recording.
On the upside, statistics show that for those who get infected, they face moderate symptoms if they are healthy and have followed proper vaccination guidelines. More reports have circulated about local residents, business employees and residents getting infected by the virus, even if they took the shots.
And contrary to earlier forums, the Teller County commissioners and elected leaders have remained mum on the subject.
