Delta Variant In Boulder County: Cases Quadruple In 2 Weeks

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — The delta variant continues to spread rapidly in Colorado, and cases in Boulder County have more than quadrupled over the past two weeks, state public health data shows.

As of Tuesday, 104 cases of the variant were reported in the county.

Early studies show the delta variant is more infectious — it has around double the hospitalization rate of the alpha variant, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

More than 2,700 cases of the variant have been reported in 48 counties in our state, public health data shows.

The coronavirus vaccine is effective against the delta variant, particularly two weeks after both doses are received, public health officials said.

Don't miss the latest news updates in Littleton: Free Littleton Patch Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook | Twitter

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that people who are vaccinated wear masks indoors if they are in an area with 'high' or 'substantial' coronavirus case rates:

• Substantial: Areas with between 50 and 99.99 cases per 100,000 people in a week
• High: Areas with more than 100 cases per 100,000 in a week

Boulder County was initially classified as 'moderate' earlier this week; however, as of Thursday, the CDC classified the county as 'substantial:'

As of Thursday afternoon, Boulder County Public Health had not announced whether it would adopt the new CDC guidance.

The delta variant, which was first seen in India and was first detected in the United States in March, spreads 50 percent faster than the alpha variant that originated in Great Britain, which itself spreads 50 percent faster than the original coronavirus strain, according to Yale Medicine.

“Delta will certainly accelerate the pandemic” around the world, F. Perry Wilson, a Yale Medicine epidemiologist, said in a statement.

>> Learn more about how to get your vaccine in Boulder County here.