Denver Coronavirus Update: Cases, Vaccination Rates

DENVER, CO — Just over 78 percent of Denverites have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, Colorado public health records show.

• Denver residents who've received at least one dose: 497,416
• Denverites who are fully inoculated: 455,909

Over the past week, more than 700 new coronavirus cases were reported in Denver, according to city records. More than 78,900 cases have been reported in the city since the pandemic began.

• New deaths over past week due to COVID-19 in Denver: 12
• Deaths due to COVID-19 since pandemic began: 871

Nearly all new cases reported in Colorado are the delta variant, state public health officials said.

Denver neighborhoods with highest COVID-19 rates between Aug. 8-14:

As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified Denver case rates as 'high,' which means that residents are advised to wear masks while indoors in all public spaces.

Denver issued a public health order Aug. 2 that requires all city employees, as well as private-sector workers in high-risk settings, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 30.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BiNTech's coronavirus vaccine Monday for people ages 16 and older, and Gov. Jared Polis said he's hopeful that the approval will cause vaccination rates to rise in Colorado.

"I know that some people were waiting for full FDA approval to get vaccinated, and now that day is finally here and you can start the protection clock today," Polis said in a statement.

"This remains a pandemic of the unvaccinated and we know that the Delta variant has threatened our progress, our economy and way of life and the FDA approval of the vaccine is a step forward."

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

The 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.

>> Learn how to get vaccinated in Denver here.