Omicron hasn’t overwhelmed Colorado hospitals despite “unprecedented” surge, but little capacity is left

Since the fast-spreading new omicron variant is less severe than the once-dominant delta, Colorado’s current COVID-19 situation is precarious, rather than catastrophic.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 50,974 new coronavirus infections statewide in the week ending Sunday, a 75% increase over the prior week — and a tally that blows past the state’s single-week record of 37,804 set in November 2020.

About 24% of COVID-19 tests taken in Colorado came back positive over the last week. That’s worse than in April 2020 — when it was difficult to get tested if you hadn’t traveled to China — and indicates the virus is even more widespread than the skyrocketing case numbers would indicate.

If omicron were as likely to cause as severe illness as the delta variant, the “unprecedented” case surge since Christmas would have led to a devastating wave of hospitalizations, said Beth Carlton, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the Colorado School of Public Health.

Colorado’s current hospital capacity is tight, but not completely overwhelmed.

As of Monday afternoon, 1,167 people were hospitalized statewide with confirmed COVID-19, a 17% increase since Christmas, the day the state’s month-long drop in virus hospitalizations came to an end. About 93% of both intensive-care and general hospital beds were in use Monday.

Overall, most patients in Colorado hospitals are being treated for something other than the virus, but there isn’t much room to spare if COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to increase.

One bit of good news is that ventilator use is down, indicating people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the current wave generally aren’t as sick as those in previous surges, Carlton said. People in public health are also trying to get better data on whether more of the people were hospitalized for something other than the virus and happened to test positive than in previous waves, as was seen in South Africa, she said.

“I remain concerned about hospital capacity, but I’m less concerned than I was a few weeks ago,” she said.

Children’s Hospital Colorado reported it has seen “many” incidental admissions — where the patient comes in for something else — but also is dealing with an increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19. It’s not clear what the situation is in Colorado hospitals serving adult patients.

While omicron is causing more breakthrough infections among vaccinated people, the data suggests those who’ve had a booster shot or had their second shot less than six months ago are well-protected against severe illness, Carlton said.

“The unvaccinated face the greatest risk,” she said. “The vaccines and boosters are not perfect, but they are an extremely effective tool.”

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15, and allowed them to get it five months after their second shot. People 16 and older who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine were told to wait six months.