COVID-19 increases in Colorado colleges, CU Boulder passes 1,500 cases
Active COVID-19 outbreaks among universities hit 23 as the University of Colorado Boulder reached over 1,500 cases, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Wednesday.
There are now 1,503 lab-confirmed positives among CU Boulder students and 12 lab-confirmed positives among staff. There are also 161 probable positives that have not been tested.
This is the state’s largest outbreak by far, nearly tripling the previous record of 619 cases at the Sterling Correctional Facility.
In the last week, CDPHE also reported new outbreaks at six fraternities and sororities across Colorado.
Colorado State University’s Pi Kappa Phi, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Pi have four, two and two cases respectively. University of Denver’s Beta Theta Pi and Delta Zeta have four and two cases. And the University of Northern Colorado’s Sigma Kappa has three cases.
Numerous existing COVID-19 outbreaks are still active in Colorado College, Regis University, Colorado Mesa University, Metropolitan State University, CSU and DU.
This comes as community officials have begun to crackdown on college-aged populations.
Boulder County recently banned gatherings of more than two people among 18- to 22-year-olds and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced enhanced regulations for dorm conduct and college athletics.
No university-associated outbreaks have been resolved since August, according to CDPHE data. For an outbreak to be considered resolved, 28 days must pass without any new illnesses.
Colorado’s total COVID-19 cases broke 70,000 Wednesday, according to John Hopkins University.