LONE TREE, Colo. (KDVR) — There’s been a great deal of discussion about rising hospitalizations here in Colorado. More than 1,500 Coloradans were in the hospital with COVID this Thanksgiving.

Those hospitalizations come on top of the thousands of other patients doctors are treating for other illnesses.

This is the second year doctors and nurses have dealt with the pandemic. Although they are exhausted, they said this year they are grateful and hopeful things are going to turn around.

Charlene Lopez is the director of infection prevention at Sky Ridge Medical Center. She said her heart is filled with thankfulness for her colleagues.

“I’m very thankful for the scientific community being able to get the vaccines out,” Lopez said. “We’re seeing that people that are vaccinated have lower rates of acquiring COVID if they do have a vaccine, so I’m so thankful for that. I can’t say enough about the doctors and the nurses because they have done a tremendous job in caring for these patients. If there’s gratitude from COVID, it’s for these nurses and these doctors.”

They are not just busy with COVID patients. They have also got their hands full with other patients, like baby Violet.

The holidays came early for Violet’s mom and dad, first-time parents Jayden and Polly Lumpa. They say they are hopeful Violet will get to experience some of the season at home thanks to her doctor’s care.

“I went into pre-term labor Oct. 12, and she was born,” Polly Lumpa said. “We’re so grateful. I mean, the nurses and doctors here are angels on Earth, and they are just so amazing with our girl, and we trust them fully with her care. So we are just so, very grateful.”

Doctors say two big ways to say thank you are getting vaccinated and following local health orders to keep more people out of the hospitals so they can enjoy some family time too.