DENVER (KDVR) — Most of the patients in Colorado’s largest hospital system who tested positive for COVID 19 were admitted for other reasons, rather than being admitted due to medical problems COVID produced.
In a tweet, UCHealth said, “1/3 of our 362 COVID positive patients were admitted due to COVID complication, while 2/3 tested positive when admitted for other reasons.”
The UCHealth system is the state’s largest. It holds roughly 20% of the state’s hospital patients who test positive for COVID. Statewide, there were 1,559 COVID-positive patients in Colorado.
These numbers are the reverse of statewide numbers given to KDVR on Jan. 11. State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy told FOX31 that two-thirds of the state’s COVID-positive patients were in hospital due to COVID problems.
“Historically throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen typically about 80-90% of people in the hospital with COVID-19, their hospitalization is due to COVID-19,” Herlihy said. “But that number looks like it’s a little bit lower now. Approximately 65% right now.”