Contact: Adam Kisiel, Summit County Public Affairs Coordinator 

SUMMIT COUNTY – Summit County Public Health officials suspect that the more contagious Omicron subvariant is the cause for a rise in COVID-19 cases. Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 shows an upward trend and current case incidence for Summit County is 212. Find more information at:   https://covid19.colorado.gov/covid-19-monitoring-in-wastewater.  With the rise in cases, the COVID-19 community level is moving from Green (Low Risk) to Yellow (Medium Risk) on the CDC COVID data tracker and community members should be aware of the increased prevalence of the virus and take additional steps to protect themselves. 

COVID-19 Community Levels are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at staffed hospital bed occupancy, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Take precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level Yellow/Medium in our area.  

Determining COVID-19 Community Levels

CDPHE and Summit County Public Health are monitoring the situation closely. The confirmation of the rise in cases to over 200 (per 100,000 population) in the community serves as a warning that the virus continues to circulate and that individuals should continue to use precautionary measures to protect themselves against the transmission of COVID-19. There is high confidence that Omicron can evade vaccine and infection-acquired immunity to cause infection. Evidence shows that vaccinated people who receive a booster dose are likely to have stronger protection against Omicron. Everyone who is eligible should get a booster dose.

“We have had significant success in mitigating the virus in Summit County. We have been living with COVID now for over two years and know how to protect ourselves and our neighbors. Our entire community should continue to use all the tools we have in our toolbox to slow the spread including getting tested if symptomatic, staying home when sick, and above all, getting a booster dose,” said Public Health Director Amy Wineland. “In Community Level Yellow, those that are at risk for severe illness should talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to wear a mask and take other precautions.”

Individuals that experience cold or flu like symptoms should stay home and seek testing for COVID-19. Testing is widely available and free of cost in Summit County. If individuals are experiencing allergy like symptoms, they should take an extra precaution and self-test to receive confirmation through a rapid at home test kit.  Rapid home tests are also available for free at the Summit County Public Health Office, North and South Summit County Library Branches, Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC), and the Community and Senior Center. Information on testing can be found at the Summit County Government Testing webpage. 

 A complete list of locations in Summit County offering vaccines can be found at https://www.summitcountyco.gov/1423/Where-Can-I-Get-Vaccinated. 

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