COVID-19  has affected just about every place in the world. Our small corner of Colorado is no exception. According to Mesa County Health, we’ve had a total of 6,931 positive cases in Mesa county. Currently, 36 people are hospitalized and there have been 73 deaths due to COVID-19. On the bright side, a total of 2,820 people have recovered from the virus. 

For those who are tested, turn-around time is usually two to four days. With a total of 97,912 tests being administered, about 6.28% have come back positive.

While those numbers seem decent, precautions are still being heavily pushed, as numbers have been spiking in short periods of time. The precaution level the Health Department places us at is in the red, also known as “severe risk”. This isn’t the worst we could be but it is certainly something officials are taking into account, as it is only one step away from the worst possible risk factor.

While we must all be cautious, it is good to remember that we can do something about our own safety. Wearing our masks, avoiding crowds and large gatherings, and quarantining when sick can all help us move away from the “severe risk” end of the scale. As a county, we can help numbers go down and keep each other safe.