Arapahoe County Coronavirus Rates Continue To Decline

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO — After announcing last week that case counts are down in Arapahoe County, public health officials said this week's numbers are "even better." The county saw a spike of cases in late July and was set to lose its variance, but the latest numbers are "very promising," the Tri-County Health Department said.

"After our initial warning in late-July, Arapahoe County’s COVID testing positivity rates started declining from more than 7 percent toward the state-mandated target number of 5 percent, which enabled the County to receive a one-week extension on its variance," health officials said in a news release.

"Since then, the numbers are even better. As of this week, the County’s testing positivity rate (a 14-day rolling average) has fallen to just above 4 percent. And in what may be the most encouraging sign of all, Tri-County also is reporting that 99 percent of Arapahoe County’s residents and visitors are wearing masks or face coverings when outside the home."

A positivity rate is the percentage of people who test positive among those overall who have been tested.

The number of new daily cases in the county has dropped from the mid-50s around Aug. 1 to fewer than 20 per day this week, health officials said. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment considers counties that fall into the moderate range — between 10 and 50 new cases per day over the previous two weeks — to be mostly suppressing the spread of COVID-19, with fewer than 10 new cases per day in the optimal “low” range.

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“My fellow commissioners and I are very encouraged by the way our COVID numbers are trending,” said Arapahoe County Board Chair Nancy Sharpe.

“This shows that people are trusting our public health officials and embracing the personal responsibility that’s necessary to protect themselves and those around them. We urge everyone to continue following these guidelines until we’ve put this crisis behind us.”