https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/04/colorado-coronavirus-case-rates-comparison/

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Friday September 4th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Monday through Friday we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Saturday marks 6 of COVID-19 in Colorado, so today, we’re taking a look at how Colorado has dealt with the virus in comparison to the rest of the country.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history:

Today, we take you back to November 7, 1893 when a referendum was held in Colorado that secured women's voting rights. 

A year later in 1894 three Colorado women were elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. They introduced bills supporting a system of free schools, as well as one to create homes for delinquent girls.

By achieving this, Clara Cressingham, Carrie Clyde Holly, and Frances Klock, became the first women to be elected to any legislature in the country.

Now, our feature story. 

Saturday marks six months of the coronavirus pandemic in Colorado, half a year since Gov. Jared Polis announced the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state. 

That’s six months of closings and reopenings and, in some cases, re-closings. Six months of social distancing. Six months of mask wearing and protests against mandatory mask wearing.

Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist spoke to reporters about the progress that’s been made over the past 6 months during a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment press conference on Wednesday

But there is still a lot to learn.

Dr. Herlihy also said there is ongoing uncertainty about how long people who have been infected with the coronavirus might remain immune -- and some emerging evidence that reinfection is possible. The state is also still “dialing in” the balance between opening the economy and maintaining control of the virus.

Here’s Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold with some more insight into challenges that the state faces in the coming months.

The good news is, so far Colorado has seen fewer COVID-19 cases per capita than most other states.

When looking on a proportional basis, Colorado ranks 40th nationally for the number of COVID-19 cases that have been reported, with roughly 10,000 cases for every 1 million people who live here. The nationwide rate is about 18,600 cases for every 1 million people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Here’s a look into how we’re ranking in other areas.

First, Although we have a relatively low number of cases, unfortunately Colorado has a higher COVID-19 death rate than many other states. When comparing the number of deaths to the total number of coronavirus cases documented, Colorado’s fatality rate from the virus is 3.37%, 14th-highest among all states. The national fatality rate is 3.04%.

Next, Testing in Colorado is behind the national average. One explanation for why Colorado’s COVID-19 fatality rate is so high may be that the state has not done the best job of identifying cases, relative to other states. Nationally, there have been 239 tests run per every 1,000 people. But In Colorado, there have only been about 175 tests, ranking the state 38th.

Finally, The unemployment rate is better than in most states. The preliminary unemployment rate in Colorado for July was 7.4%, while the national rate was 10.2%, and Colorado ranks 15th among all states for the lowest reported unemployment rate. Before the pandemic Colorado had a historic-low unemployment rate of 2.5%.

As tumultuous as it has been, state health officials say they’ve learned a lot over the past six months. Today, they have a better understanding of the coronavirus, how it behaves and how to thwart its spread.

Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

In 2019, the Colorado legislature granted 17-year-olds the ability to vote in primaries as long as they turn 18 before the general election. But a question on the November ballot seeking to specify that only U.S. citizens can vote in Colorado elections would take that ability away.

A district’s student count factors into how much state funding it’s given. As in past years, the state will offer a financial safety net to districts that lose students.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. 

And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. So Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again on Monday. Also, if you love the podcast so far give us five stars on Apple Podcasts! 

We’ll leave you with a few words from our Editor. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/04/colorado-coronavirus-case-rates-comparison/">https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/04/colorado-coronavirus-case-rates-comparison/</a>
Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Friday September 4th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Monday through Friday we&rsquo;re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Saturday marks 6 of COVID-19 in Colorado, so today, we&rsquo;re taking a look at how Colorado has dealt with the virus in comparison to the rest of the country.
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history:
Today, we take you back to November 7, 1893 when a referendum was held in Colorado that secured women's voting rights.&nbsp;
A year later in 1894 three Colorado women were elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. They introduced bills supporting a system of free schools, as well as one to create homes for delinquent girls.
By achieving this, Clara Cressingham, Carrie Clyde Holly, and Frances Klock, became the first women to be elected to any legislature in the country.
Now, our feature story.&nbsp;
Saturday marks six months of the coronavirus pandemic in Colorado, half a year since Gov. Jared Polis announced the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s six months of closings and reopenings and, in some cases, re-closings. Six months of social distancing. Six months of mask wearing and protests against mandatory mask wearing.
Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist spoke to reporters about the progress that&rsquo;s been made over the past 6 months during a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment press conference on Wednesday
But there is still a lot to learn.
Dr. Herlihy also said there is ongoing uncertainty about how long people who have been infected with the coronavirus might remain immune -- and some<a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/28/covid-19-reinfection-implications/"> emerging evidence</a> that reinfection is possible. The state is also still &ldquo;dialing in&rdquo; the balance between opening the economy and maintaining control of the virus.
Here&rsquo;s Colorado Sun reporter John Ingold with some more insight into challenges that the state faces in the coming months.
The good news is, so far Colorado has seen fewer COVID-19 cases per capita than most other states.
When looking on a proportional basis, Colorado ranks 40th nationally for the number of COVID-19 cases that have been reported, with roughly 10,000 cases for every 1 million people who live here. The nationwide rate is about 18,600 cases for every 1 million people,<a href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/confirmed-covid-19-cases-and-deaths/?currentTimeframe=0&amp;sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D"> according to the Kaiser Family Foundation</a>.
Here&rsquo;s a look into how we&rsquo;re ranking in other areas.
First, Although we have a relatively low number of cases, unfortunately Colorado has a higher COVID-19 death rate than many other states. When comparing the number of deaths to the total number of coronavirus cases documented, Colorado&rsquo;s fatality rate from the virus is 3.37%, 14th-highest among all states. The national fatality rate is 3.04%.
Next, Testing in Colorado is behind the national average. One explanation for why Colorado&rsquo;s COVID-19 fatality rate is so high may be that the state has not done the best job of identifying cases, relative to other states. Nationally, there have been 239 tests run per every 1,000 people. But In Colorado, there have only been about 175 tests, ranking the state 38th.
Finally, The unemployment rate is better than in most states. The preliminary unemployment rate in Colorado for July was 7.4%, while the national rate was 10.2%, and Colorado ranks 15th among all states for the lowest reported unemployment rate. Before the pandemic Colorado had a historic-low unemployment rate of 2.5%.
As tumultuous as it has been, state health officials say they&rsquo;ve learned a lot over the past six months. Today, they have a better understanding of the coronavirus, how it behaves and how to thwart its spread.
Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
In 2019, the Colorado legislature granted 17-year-olds the ability to vote in primaries as long as they turn 18 before the general election. But a question on the November ballot seeking to specify that only U.S. citizens can vote in Colorado elections would take that ability away.
A district&rsquo;s student count factors into how much state funding it&rsquo;s given. As in past years, the state will offer a financial safety net to districts that lose students.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. So Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again on Monday. Also, if you love the podcast so far give us five stars on Apple Podcasts!&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll leave you with a few words from our Editor. See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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