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Larimer County urges vaccines, masks as COVID-19 case rate increases

graphic depicting a satellite beacon with the text "Breaking News" in all caps
(Graphic Illustration by Malia Berry | The Collegian)

Editor’s Note: This article originally stated that the seven-day infection rate had doubled over the past two weeks. According to Jared Olson with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, the seven-day infection rate for Larimer County on Monday, July 26, was 70.3 residents per 100,000. On Sunday, Aug. 8, the rate had increased to 134.4. residents per 100,000. This is an increase in infection over a two-week period, but not a double.

The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment released updated COVID-19 case information Wednesday, stressing the need for residents to get vaccinated and wear masks indoors as numbers rise. 

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According to the Aug. 11 press release, the seven-day rate for COVID-19 cases in the county increased in the last two weeks, with 127 people per 100,000 testing positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days.

“The impact of the Delta variant is setting us back,” said Tom Gonzales, county public health director, in the release. “Larimer County is once again experiencing a high case rate and, unfortunately, increasing hospitalizations.”

The Delta variant is the most prevalent strain of COVID-19 in the area, the release said, and there is likely a high level of community transmission occurring, as many residents reported being unsure of where they were exposed to the virus. Because of this and updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Larimer County health officials strongly encourage all residents, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to wear masks in public indoor spaces. 

The COVID-19 case rate between July 1 and Aug. 4. Photo courtesy of Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.

Of the patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in Larimer County between May 1 and Aug. 9, 85% have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine and 3% have been partially vaccinated, the press release said. While data shows that the Delta variant is more contagious than other strains and can potentially cause more severe illness in unvaccinated individuals, all vaccines currently available in the United States are still highly effective. 

“The COVID-19 vaccine data continues to demonstrate that the vaccines are overall safe and effective even against the variants currently circulating,” Larimer County Medical Officer Dr. Paul Mayer said in the release. “In fact, they are now recommended for use during pregnancy based on data supporting their safety and effectiveness in pregnant patients.”

This information comes out after two upcoming Fort Collins events, the Bohemian Light Music Festival and Tour de Fat, were canceled in the last week. Additionally, Colorado State University announced they would put a mask mandate back into place Aug. 11 after not requiring masks indoors for vaccinated individuals since July 12. 

“Vaccination and masking are the best tools that we have for turning things around and ending this surge,” Gonzales said in the release.

Detailed information on each COVID-19 vaccine, including information on how the body reacts to the vaccine and allergy information, is available on the CDC’s website. Vaccines are free to all residents, regardless of health insurance status, and are offered by the County nearly every day, with appointments and walk-ins welcome in multiple locations.

CSU community members can receive their vaccine on campus at Moby Arena Aug. 19 and 20 by making an appointment.

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Serena Bettis can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @serenaroseb.

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About the Contributor
Serena Bettis, Editor in Chief
Serena Bettis is your 2022-23 editor in chief and is in her final year studying journalism and political science. In her three years at The Collegian, Bettis has also been a news reporter, copy editor, news editor and content managing editor, and she occasionally takes photos, too. When Bettis was 5, her family moved from Iowa to a tiny town northwest of Fort Collins called Livermore, Colorado, before eventually moving to Fort Collins proper. When she was 8 years old, her dad enrolled at Colorado State University as a nontraditional student veteran, where he found his life's passion in photojournalism. Although Bettis' own passion for journalism did not stem directly from her dad, his time at CSU and with The Collegian gave her the motivation to bite down on her fear of talking to strangers and find The Collegian newsroom on the second day of classes in 2019. She's never looked back since. Considering that aforementioned fear, Bettis is constantly surprised to be where she is today. However, thanks to the supportive learning environment at The Collegian and inspiring peers, Bettis has not stopped chasing her teenage dream of being a professional journalist. Between working with her section editors, coordinating news stories between Rocky Mountain Student Media departments and coaching new reporters, Bettis gets to live that dream every day. When she's not in the newsroom or almost falling asleep in class, you can find Bettis working in the Durrell Marketplace and Café or outside gazing at the beauty that is our campus (and running inside when bees are nearby). This year, Bettis' goals for The Collegian include continuing its trajectory as a unique alt-weekly newspaper, documenting the institutional memory of the paper to benefit students in years to come and fostering a sense of community and growth both inside the newsroom and through The Collegian's published work. Bettis would like to encourage anyone with story ideas, suggestions, questions, concerns or comments to reach out to her at editor@collegian.com.

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