https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/08/coronavirus-testing-colorado-more-people/

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Wednesday September 9th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. 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. Today our focus is on Coronavirus testing.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we’re going back to September 9th 1916 when the Opportunity School first opened with Emily Griffith at its helm. Her mission was to establish a school for [quote] “the boys and girls, and their parents, too, whose education has been limited by poverty”. The Opportunity School allowed students to stop in whenever they had an hour or two to spare.

Now, our feature story. At first, Colorado didn’t have enough coronavirus tests. Now, Gov. Jared Polis is urging people to get screened at one of the state’s free testing sites, which are currently operating at about half their capacity. 

This is all months after Colorado public health officials and hospitals were turning away people with coronavirus symptoms who wanted to get screened.

The change in guidance around testing is another sign of the complicated, changing dynamics of the pandemic and how public health officials have been forced to reeducate people. You may remember that experts initially recommended mask-wearing only for those who were sick. Now masks are required to enter any public, indoor space.

Colorado Sun Reporter Jesse Paul has some clarity on the change in messaging from politicians and health officials:

Gov. Jared Polis said he’s particularly concerned about how few people are showing up to get tested in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. While the statewide rate of test results coming back positive is about 2.8%, those southern Colorado cities were seeing rates of 2.4% and 4.7% respectively last week.

The governor said. “That’s not necessarily because there are more cases in Pueblo and El Paso counties. It’s because we have less data. Less people are being tested,”

Here’s Polis during a Covid-19 update on September 3rd explaining the importance of testing, and catching infections as early as possible.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says the state’s relatively low positive test rate is a good sign. that “we are testing enough of the population.” 

Colorado’s daily testing capacity is about 15,000 between its own lab, the labs the state partners with and private labs.

But according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Colorado last week ranked 39th out of all states and Washington, D.C., in tests per 1,000 people.

Right now there are more than 50 free, community testing sites across Colorado.

Check out the full story at coloradosun.com, where we’ve also linked a map to these sites around the state.

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

Coloradans stuck at home are spending big on home improvements  

About 5,700 fans, most of them season ticket holders, will be allowed to attend the Broncos game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third week of the NFL season

Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday also said it’s possible high school football may return in the fall. 

Eight states have programs that give workers paid time off. Does that help or hurt Colorado’s chances? Critics of the ballot measure point to huge government bureaucracies and mandated “taxes” in other states, but supporters say every program is solvent, successful.

Police confirmed Forrest Fenn, art dealer whose treasure sent hunters scouring the West, died Monday of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Colorado partnering with Apple, Google to allow for coronavirus exposure notification on cellphones

Snow and cold temps have slowed down the Cameron Peak fire, and have downgraded evacuations — if only for a few days.

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

And just a reminder that the Colorado Sun is marking its second birthday on Thursday. We'd love to have you join us for a virtual celebration on tomorrow from 7-8 p.m. You can meet our team and hear about stories we're working on. The event is free and you can register at coloradosun.com/party.

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. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.


Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/08/coronavirus-testing-colorado-more-people/">https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/08/coronavirus-testing-colorado-more-people/</a>
Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Wednesday September 9th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day 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. Today our focus is on Coronavirus testing.
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
Today, we&rsquo;re going back to September 9th 1916 when the Opportunity School first opened with Emily Griffith at its helm. Her mission was to establish a school for [quote] &ldquo;the boys and girls, and their parents, too, whose education has been limited by poverty&rdquo;. The Opportunity School allowed students to stop in whenever they had an hour or two to spare.
Now, our feature story.&nbsp;At first, Colorado didn&rsquo;t have enough coronavirus tests. Now, Gov. Jared Polis is urging people to get screened at one of the state&rsquo;s free testing sites, which are currently operating at about half their capacity.&nbsp;
This is all months after Colorado public health officials and hospitals were turning away people with coronavirus symptoms who wanted to get screened.
The change in guidance around testing is another sign of the complicated, changing dynamics of the pandemic and how public health officials have been forced to reeducate people. You may remember that experts initially recommended mask-wearing only for those who were sick. Now masks are required to enter any public, indoor space.
Colorado Sun Reporter Jesse Paul has some clarity on the change in messaging from politicians and health officials:
Gov. Jared Polis said he&rsquo;s particularly concerned about how few people are showing up to get tested in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. While the statewide rate of test results coming back positive is about 2.8%, those southern Colorado cities were seeing rates of 2.4% and 4.7% respectively last week.
The governor said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not necessarily because there are more cases in Pueblo and El Paso counties. It&rsquo;s because we have less data. Less people are being tested,&rdquo;
Here&rsquo;s Polis during a Covid-19 update on September 3rd explaining the importance of testing, and catching infections as early as possible.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says the state&rsquo;s relatively low positive test rate is a good sign. that &ldquo;we are testing enough of the population.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Colorado&rsquo;s daily testing capacity is about 15,000 between its own lab, the labs the state partners with and private labs.
But according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Colorado last week ranked 39th out of all states and Washington, D.C., in tests per 1,000 people.
Right now there are more than 50 free, community testing sites across Colorado.
Check out the full story at coloradosun.com, where we&rsquo;ve also linked a map to these sites around the state.
Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
Coloradans stuck at home are spending big on home improvements&nbsp;&nbsp;
About 5,700 fans, most of them season ticket holders, will be allowed to attend the Broncos game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third week of the NFL season
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday also said it&rsquo;s possible high school football may return in the fall.&nbsp;
Eight states have programs that give workers paid time off. Does that help or hurt Colorado&rsquo;s chances? Critics of the ballot measure point to huge government bureaucracies and mandated &ldquo;taxes&rdquo; in other states, but supporters say every program is solvent, successful.
Police confirmed Forrest Fenn, art dealer whose treasure sent hunters scouring the West, died Monday of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Colorado partnering with Apple, Google to allow for coronavirus exposure notification on cellphones
Snow and cold temps have slowed down the Cameron Peak fire, and have downgraded evacuations &mdash; if only for a few days.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
And just a reminder that the Colorado Sun is marking its second birthday on Thursday. We'd love to have you join us for a virtual celebration on tomorrow from 7-8 p.m. You can meet our team and hear about stories we're working on. The event is free and you can register at <a href="http://coloradosun.com/party">coloradosun.com/party</a>.
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. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
 Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.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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