3of 5 Colorado COVID hospitalizations are due to the virus

Registered Nurse Monica Quintana dons protective gear before entering a room at the William Beaumont hospital, April 21, 2021 in Royal Oak, Mich. Beaumont Health warned that its hospitals and staff had hit critical capacity levels. Michigan has become the current national hotspot for COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations at a time when more than half the U.S. adult population has been vaccinated and other states have seen the virus diminish substantially. Beaumont Health warned that its hospitals and staff had hit critical capacity levels. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

by: Alex Rose

Posted: May 20, 2022 / 05:08 PM MDT

Updated: May 20, 2022 / 05:08 PM MDT

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DENVER (KDVR) — In an effort to be more transparent with COVID hospital data, Colorado’s health department is breaking down COVID hospitalizations to distinguish who is in the hospital because of the virus, as opposed to who happens to be positive but is hospitalized for another reason.

According to state data, 60% of the COVID hospitalizations are because of COVID for the week of May 8. Roughly 24% of patients just happen to have the virus, which is known as incidental COVID, and about 12% are presumed to have incidental COVID.

You can find this data on the state’s dashboard by clicking COVID Hospitalizations, patient level and then the reason for admission.

The share of incidental COVID hospitalizations has gone up significantly since January of 2022, when the omicron variant became the dominant strain in Colorado. During that month, 80% of COVID hospitalizations were due to COVID.