Colorado

For both cases and deaths, we want to confirm that 100% (all the categories + unknowns) is equal to the Confirmed + Probable count.

Thank you.

Yes, the percent of cases broken out into race/ethnicity categories in the ‘Demographics’ section of our dashboard corresponds to the cumulative number of cases, which is equal to the confirmed + probable count.

The percent of deaths among cases broken out into race/ethnicity categories corresponds to the cumulative number of “Deaths Among Cases” on the top-level banner of the dashboard. That is equal to the number of deaths among confirmed cases + deaths among probable cases. Those *do not* correspond to the “Deaths Due to COVID-19” cumulative count.

Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions related to this response.

Vaccination data Laura!

Hi Laura,

Here is the data from this morning (1/28).  

Walgreens/CVS are required to upload data twice a week to the CDC. We can’t speak to the cadence or enforcement of this as it is not our database or requirement.

We can pull this information upon anyone’s request from the CDC’s database. But it is not the state’s database, and we cannot independently verify the data.

Thank you

Can Colorado send us the LTC vaccination data regularly, or, even better, publish it themselves?

We can pull this information upon anyone’s request from the CDC’s database. Because it is not the state’s database, and we cannot independently verify the data-- we are not publishing it on our website at this time.Throughout the pandemic, CDPHE has prioritized data transparency and provides some of the most robust data in the nation and will continue to do the same with vaccine distribution. Our vaccine database is available here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine-data-dashboard. Colorado will continue to add additional metrics as more and more people are vaccinated.

Will they publish data on vaccinations in long term care facilities?

Hi Laura, we wanted to follow up on your request for more facility level information about vaccine distribution at LTCFs.

We’re attaching some Colorado data from the Tiberius database, which is managed by the CDC.

Some background info on the data: Through the federally-run Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program CVS and Walgreens are vaccinating staff and residents in long term care facilities in Colorado. The Tiberius database has information on those vaccinations. It is not a state-managed database. As a note, there may be inconsistencies in the Tiberius data. These data are reported by CVS and Walgreens to Operation Warp Speed. The pharmacies update data to Tiberius twice a week.

If you would like more details in the report, please contact Walgreens ([email protected]) or CVS ([email protected]).

Separately, the state receives patient-level vaccination data about the vaccines administered by CVS and Walgreens through the federally-run Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program, but that data does not always identify at which LTCF facilities the provider administered the vaccines.

What challenges are you facing in adjusting to the new HHS guidelines?

What has been most challenging for Colorado’s hospitals and health systems is that they are now required to enter data into two platforms – a state program (EMResource) and the federal program (TeleTracking). Unfortunately, the definitions and fields in those two platforms are not the same, so it has been difficult to try to align and simplify that data entry process.

Which metrics that you report were impacted, or could be impacted by HHS procedure changes? How does this affect the reporting relationship between hospitals and DOH?

The metrics that hospitals report haven’t necessarily been impacted, but the accuracy and timeliness of reporting has been impacted because hospitals are required to report in multiple tools. Our hospitals have been frustrated by the lack of coordination between the federal and state agencies.

Are there changes in regulations on which hospitals are now required or not required to report to state DOH?

Colorado has an Executive Order from the Governor that requires hospitals to report daily and weekly data to the state health department. While our Association has requested that the state align the data definitions with those in the TeleTracking platform, that change has not occurred yet.

Are percentages for confirmed cases / deaths or for total cases / deaths?

Race and ethnicity data is located on our website here. Data presented on this dashboard represents more than 80% of all reported COVID-19 cases. Cases with an unknown race or ethnicity are excluded from these calculations, so it does not provide an accurate view of statewide trends. This data represents percentages of total COVID-19 cases and deaths by race/ethnicity.

When you say, "This data represents percentages of total COVID-19 cases and deaths by race/ethnicity," which total are you referring to for deaths? Total "deaths among cases," or total "deaths due to COVID-19"?

Are they performing pool testing? How is this testing reported?

At the state lab, we are not doing any pool testing. All positive tests must be reported in the Colorado Electronic Disease Reporting System.

Is Colorado conducting antigen testing? Are these testing results reported on the state site? If so, how many tests have they conducted?

The state uses PCR tests, which are considered the most reliable. Private providers are using a wide range of tests, including antibody and possibly antigen tests. Those results are recorded separately in CEDRS.

The state lab does not analyze antigen samples. Private providers might be using them. Antigen test results would be reported in the Colorado Electronic Disease Reporting System but are tracked separately from PCR tests, which is what the state uses and is what is considered the most reliable test. They are not currently listed on the website.

Our data team was able to pull some information on antigen tests. So far, 25 positive antigen tests have been reported. As I mentioned before, those cases are tracked separately from our PCR results. Let me know if you need anything else.

As it turns out, getting you exact numbers of antigen tests in our reporting system is a little trickier than I thought. I'm told we are seeing some in the system, but the numbers appear to be very low. Pulling a precise list would be challenging because the system codes them similarly to antibody tests. We can do it, but it would take quite a bit of time because it would require a line-by-line search. One of our data gurus probably knows a faster way to do that, but he's out until next week. Anyway, let me know what would work best for you, and we can make it happen.

What is included in 'Healthcare, combined care' facilities?

Long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities/senior communities that offer health care, inpatient rehab facilities, and long-term acute care hospitals. A combined care setting type would be a facility that combines two or more of these healthcare setting types. It can take time to investigate outbreaks, and often this is led by local public health agencies. For clarity and consistency of data, we only report outbreaks once they have been confirmed.

Given that the reported percentages for race and ethnicity of cases & deaths is not for the total case count or death count, would it be possible to report the number it is out of? Something like 'these percentages are based on the 18,000 cases for which we have race and ethnicity information'?

Hi, Laura. I agree, that would be helpful, and I'll ask if that can be added. You can calculate it based on the "unknown/not provided" percentage, which is on the table. You can also see how complete that data has been over time by downloading the historical case summary files and looking at how the "unknown/not provided" number has changed over time. I think this answers your question, but let me know if I'm missing something. Thanks.

Data presented on our dashboard represents about 75% of all reported COVID-19 cases. Cases with an unknown race or ethnicity are excluded from these calculations, so it does not provide an accurate view of statewide trends. The data is for all reported cases - both confirmed and probable cases are included in that.
The state is working with hospitals and medical providers that interact directly with patients in order to encourage them to collect and report this data. As an important note, race and ethnicity can be challenging data to collect and report accurately if a medical provider does not ask the individual to report the data, the provider is relying on perceived race/ethnicity, which can be inaccurate.

How do you define an outbreak?

For the outbreak question, we define an outbreak as two or more cases with onset in a two-week period. That means that facilities with only one case are not included in that data.

Are staff death rates really as low as reported (many columns are empty)?

Yes, those are our most current numbers for staff deaths.

Why doesn't CO publish currently in ICU or ventilator numbers?

Right now we're reporting anticipated ICU shortages rather than numbers of available ICU beds and ventilators, which are challenging to report in real time. For the hospital data we report on our website, we partner with the Colorado Hospital Association, so they can best answer questions about what they do and don't report and why.

The State does not report this number ICU/ ventilator data for covid-specific patients. The data on this page has been reported to the state of Colorado by hospitals across the state, and is made possible through a partnership with the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA). Because this data is created, owned and maintained by individual hospitals, any questions should be directed to the CHA and/or to individual hospitals.

Why doesn't CO publish recovery numbers?

With more than 5.7 million residents in Colorado, and thousands of reported cases and hospitalizations, CDPHE does not have the capacity to maintain individual contact with each person who may have had COVID-19 across the state, so we are not reporting recovery numbers. The Colorado Hospital Association has started reporting discharge data, which helps to provide a snapshot of people who have recovered from the most severe illnesses related to COVID-19.

Why doesn't CO publish negative tests separately?

Private labs are not required to report negative test results. The larger companies like Quest and LabCorp do submit negative results through their normal reporting, but some small labs use different systems and may not be reporting negatives. We're probably capturing around 90% of negative test results. Because of this uncertainty, we are not reporting negative test results as its own number

Why doesn't CO publish race and ethnicity information?

We only recently started reporting race and ethnicity data, and it took a considerable effort to pull that together from multiple sources. We will work to improve this aspect of our reporting, but it will take some time as it's challenging data to collect and report accurately. We are working with hospitals and medical providers that interact directly with patients and encouraging them to collect and report information about race and ethnicity through direct communication with patients rather than the provider's perception. Another challenge to accurately reporting race and ethnicity data is that this information is often omitted when cases are reported to us through our online disease reporting system.

Why doesn't CO publish information on preexisting conditions?

We don't have that information available right now but are working on two projects that will hopefully give us a better understanding of this soon -- a CDC project and a review COVID-19 patients' hospital charts that will give us a better understanding of relationships between preexisting conditions and COVID-19 in Colorado. We will share this information as soon as we can, but don't know when it will be ready yet.

Why doesn't CO publish race & ethnicity by age?

We've had a few requests to share more granular data on race and ethnicity, and we are considering those requests.

Why doesn't CO publish gender by age?

'm not aware of anyone asking for this before, but I will propose it.

Why doesn't CO publish information on cases and deaths among healthcare workers?

We don't have data on healthcare workers easily available. We do ask about high risk occupations when cases are interviewed and work with facilities to identify potential exposures. We do already ask if a test is for a healthcare worker, but right now our information on that is incomplete, so we cannot provide complete numbers at this time. Our outbreak webpage (https://covid19.colorado.gov/outbreak-data) does shine a light on how this virus has impacted the healthcare sector especially in nursing homes. It includes confirmed and probable cases of staff in a variety of health care settings, including long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities/senior communities that offer health care, inpatient rehab facilities, and long-term acute care hospitals.

Why doesn't CO publish information on cases and deaths among the homeless population?

This information is available from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.

Why doesn't CO publish information on cases and deaths among first responders?

We don't have data on first responders workers easily available. We do ask about high risk occupations when cases are interviewed and work to identify potential exposures. We do already ask if a test is for a first responder, but right now our information on that is incomplete, so we cannot provide complete numbers at this time.

Does CO post any serology testing information?

Any positive test for COVID-19 is reportable to CDPHE and CDPHE is using the standard way of classifying cases of COVID-19. Individuals who have a positive serology test may be counted as a 'probable case' if they have other evidence of COVID-19 to support the diagnosis.

What is the source of the infection data CO posts?

Board of Health Regulations require reporting of all cases of COVID-19. This data on COVID-19 is reported into Colorado’s Electronic Disease Reporting System (CEDRS) by a variety of agencies that are the original source of collecting the data:

• Private labs
• Public labs
• Hospital infection prevention specialists
• State and local public health officials
• Death certificates, coroners, health care providers