The dreaded spike in COVID-19 cases after Thanksgiving appears to have skipped Colorado.
In early December, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost infectious disease leader, warned that a spate of cases could not fully occur for weeks and could strike at the start of the Christmas holidays.
Speaking on the phone with reporters, Dr. Eric France, the state’s chief medical officer, pointed out that “from Dec. 7, any increase in Thanksgiving exposure would have resulted in more cases, and we really didn’t see it.”
The concern was that many people would travel and meet in person for Thanksgiving. It was something public health officials, such as Fauci, warned that COVID-19 could spread. But people in this state seemed to have at least listened and flattened the curve, France said.
“We attribute that flat to the hard work of all Coloradans,” said France.
His comments also echoed the Governor who attributed the state’s evasion of the spike to his citizens …
“Fortunately, the Coloradans were doing very well and were collectively attentive to Thanksgiving,” Gov. Jared Polis said on December 15. “It doesn’t mean you don’t know someone who did something wrong for Thanksgiving. We all do. Overall, however, the numbers confirm that Colorado residents have made sound science-based decisions to protect their families. ”
Much of the state’s COVID-19 data was certainly cause for concern.
A marked fall rise that started after Labor Day did not accelerate until October, but it didn’t happen after Thanksgiving, at least until now. The number of patients admitted to hospital with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 peaked at 1,995 on December 2. At 718 cases that figure was nothing compared to the earlier peak in mid-April.
The number of cases is also starting to decline. The seven-day average number of cases reported to the state peaked at 5,076 on Nov. 18. On December 15, the seven-day average is 3,213.