CDC's New Mask Recommendations: What To Know In Colorado

DENVER, CO — The nation's top public health agency recommended Tuesday that people who are vaccinated wear masks indoors if they are in an area with high coronavirus case rates.

The decision was announced as the delta variant continues to spread rapidly in U.S. states, including Colorado — nearly 800 new cases have been reported in our state over the past week, state public health data shows.

Dozens of Colorado counties are classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having either 'high' or 'substantial' transmission rates, and they should be mandating indoor masks under the new federal guidance:

• 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

As of Tuesday, Boulder, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe and Gilpin counties had neither 'high' nor 'substantial' transmission rates; however, Douglas and Adams counties' rates are considered 'substantial:'

As of Tuesday afternoon, it was unclear whether Adams and Douglas counties would be adopting the new CDC mask guidance and issuing mandates.

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More than 2,473 cases of the variant have been reported in 48 counties in our state, public health data shows.

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.

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

Those who aren't vaccinated or haven't received a second dose are eligible to receive Colorado Comeback Cash $100 gift cards to Walmart. Here's a list of the sites that are offering the cards.

>> Learn more about how to get vaccinated in Colorado here.