For the seven-day period between 1/16/22-1/22/22 a total of 196 confirmed cases were identified in Gunnison County. In addition, 30 probable cases were identified across the community. With the continued high-levels of case counts, it is important to note that Gunnison County Public Health is unable to reach everyone in the case investigation process. This limits the ability to adequately confirm the totals of residents versus non-residents receiving a positive result in Gunnison County.
| Confirmed Cases in Gunnison County | Probable Cases in Gunnison County |
| 196 | 30 |
This marks the second week in a row with a substantial decline in case counts. Continued declines in case counts are welcome news for our community, however with a positivity rate hovering around 24% the coronavirus is still prevalent in our community. Current case rates are still well above the numbers seen throughout the fall. We ask that the community continue to be mindful of mitigating exposure risk as cases decline.
While case counts remain elevated, Gunnison County Libraries will be distributing high-quality masks free to the community through a partnership with the State of Colorado. Your Gunnison County Libraries in Gunnison and Crested Butte continue to have Kn95 masks available for distribution to the community. Over the course of the last week, the library system has disseminated more than 8,000 high-quality masks into our community. We thank the library staff for their dedication to this process. Gunnison County Health and Human Services is actively working to make more masks available through additional locations in the community. While KN95 or N95 masks provide the most protection, individuals are encouraged to utilize the facial covering they are most likely to wear effectively – over the nose and with a tight-fit to the face.
In addition to utilizing masks when transmission is elevated, our community should continue to monitor for symptoms, stay home/isolating when sick, and get vaccinated.
If you, or members of your household, are sick and have questions about an underlying health condition, managing your illness, isolating appropriately, or you have additional needs do not hesitate to call 970-641-3244 and ask for a public health nurse. If your symptoms worsen, please contact a health care professional.
You can also continue to complete a digital case investigation by visiting https://covid19.gunnisoncounty.org/community-resources/having-symptoms/.
The community testing site continues operations at the S. 14th Street location. Testing is available Monday through Thursday from 9am-4pm. On Friday, testing will continue from 8am-11am. While testing remains in relatively high-demand across the state, delays are incurred in resulting samples. We regret the challenges this may pose for individuals, but it is a systemic challenge and ask for our communities’ patience in the testing process.
A reminder that appointments for testing can be scheduled at https://my.primary.health/l/gvh.
Rapid antigen tests are now available for all U.S. households through the federal government. You can request tests through a quick order form at https://www.covidtests.gov/. For those with limited challenges accessing the internet, you can call 1-800-232-0233 or TTY 1-888-720-7489.
With the increased use of rapid antigen tests at home, we offer a reminder to our community about properly utilizing these tests. Rapid antigen tests, like a BinaxNOW, are meant to be used in sequence. For example, BinaxNOW tests are designed to used twice in a 36-hour span with at least 24 hours in between. As rapid antigen tests slowly become more available, we encourage our community to review credible information on using these tests to their greatest potential. An informative piece was published by Colorado Public Radio on the topic today.
If you test with a BinaxNOW test, we ask that you please report the result – particularly if it is positive – through https://covidbinax.colorado.gov.
If you do contract COVID-19, the CDC isolation guidelines allow you to leave isolation after 5 days if symptoms are resolving. Symptom resolution means that you no longer have symptoms – if you have been experiencing fever, you must be fever free for 24 hours and your other symptoms should be improved. Those leaving isolation after 5 days must wear a mask in public for an additional five days.
While Omicron is highly infectious, boosters have been shown to help restore protection against infection and serious illness. The guidelines for booster eligibility can be found on our Vaccine Resources page.
Vaccines continue to be widely available in Gunnison County through pharmacies, private providers, and appointments at weekly public health clinics. To access an appointment at a weekly clinic, please call 970-641-3244. Additionally, the CDPHE mobile unit will be back in Gunnison County for three days on February, 4th, 5th, and 6th. More information on the CDPHE mobile unit schedule can be found on the Vaccine Resources page.
Current statewide data from CDPHE shows that fully-vaccinated individuals are 8.5x less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 and 15x less likely to die from COVID-19.
Gunnison Valley Health continues to provide care to those with more significant illness from COVID-19. According to reporting from GVH, during the period of 1/16-1/22/22 four patients were admitted for COVID-19 and one patient with COVID-19 was admitted for other needs. Of those patients, one was transferred for a higher level of care. Throughout the course of the pandemic, hospitalizations lag behind the peak in case counts, so an increase in hospital admits over the next week-two weeks is not unexpected despite case counts declining.
Gunnison County asks for your participation in our Community Survey which helps provide a snapshot of perception and need in our community. The Community Survey now occurs quarterly and this survey asks for your perspective during the period of October-December 2021. The survey will be open through 1/30/22.
While we all continue to work through this period of the pandemic, Gunnison County strongly recommends the tactics we have come to know well:
- Get vaccinated if you are eligible (ages 5 years and older), be sure to complete the entire vaccination series.
- Get a booster if you are eligible! Boosters limit the potential for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Wear a mask in all indoor settings, this is particularly important in large indoor gatherings.
- Limit Exposures, try to avoid large, indoor gatherings with folks you don’t know or where vaccination status is unknown.
- Assure best ventilation for all interactions including, outdoor spaces, outdoor air circulation and air filtration as needed.
- Monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, isolate if you experience symptoms. Stay home if you are sick.
- Get tested if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. Many vaccinated individuals experience very mild symptoms that could be overlooked.
- Wash your hands frequently and avoid contact with your face, especially eyes and mouth.
For more information on where to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination or testing, please visit: https://covid19.gunnisoncounty.org.