The coronavirus pandemic has been difficult not just because of its enormity but also because of its mystery. Now more than a year in, public health officials still find themselves surprised at some of the tricks that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can pull. “We certainly haven’t seen any virus that behaves like this […]
coronavirus anniversary
Posted inColoradans, COVID, News, Politics and Government
For Indigenous rights activists in Colorado, coronavirus brought momentum and pushback
Tziavii Stevens was born in Denver, and grew up mostly on a reservation in Nevada. She was the only girl on the reservation with a Paiute name. Tziavii means “the wild rose.” Stevens didn’t grow up particularly politically engaged, but that changed when she went to her first protest in Pueblo at the age of […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News, Politics and Government
The behind-the-scenes story of being Gov. Jared Polis during Colorado’s coronavirus crisis
A little more than a month into Colorado’s battle with coronavirus, Gov. Jared Polis and his team reached the helpless realization that there was no end in sight. At that point, more than 8,000 people had tested positive for the disease and over 350 had died, including scores living in senior-care centers. The stay-at-home order […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
When coronavirus attacked Colorado’s health, it changed the state’s health system forever
In Hugo, population 707, where the dominant view is of the water tower, hospital officials with empty beds during the pandemic offered their place as a high-quality respite for city folks on the long road back from the devastating coronavirus. One woman from Greeley, who before the virus took her down couldn’t put Lincoln County […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
Colorado nursing homes with the most coronavirus deaths were cited for poor infection control
Last February, a month before coronavirus crawled through a Greeley nursing home, inspectors alerted the center’s managers of infection-control problems. Back then, before the pandemic had even arrived in Colorado, state regulators were worried about the way two nurses at Centennial Health Center cleaned a resident’s wound. The nursing home was cited for federal protocol […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Economy, Housing, News
In Colorado’s uneven coronavirus economic recovery, some thrive while others can’t make ends meet
By the time 2020 ended, the U.S. stock market was at an all-time high, Colorado’s housing market experienced double-digit gains, credit scores were on the rise and overall personal income had inched up again, up 0.6% in December from November. The state’s outlook is relatively positive for 2021. Lost jobs are expected to return. The […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News
Coronavirus crushed Colorado’s economy. But working women paid the highest price.
Louise Carr, 50 and divorced, lost her job as a baker and waitress early on in the pandemic when the Castle Rock cafe where she worked closed its doors. Now she’s vying with 20-somethings for work in a juice bar, and she’s losing. Laura Charlton, 51, watched her self-made massage therapy business in Elizabeth dwindle […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
Colorado’s “last responders” are exhausted after a year of coronavirus goodbyes
Maria McLain Cox deals in uncertainty. The longtime hospital chaplain has been with patients through chemotherapy and new diagnoses. She comforts couples who have lost infants, the families of stroke victims and people who were rushed to the emergency room and didn’t survive. There are no words McLain Cox can say to ward off difficulty, […]
Posted inColoradans, COVID, Health, News
For Coloradans who handle the dead, no rest and far less solace under cruel coronavirus rules
Cemeteries are a workplace. They are many other things, of course. A gathering place for grieving families. A picnic spot to remember a beloved abuela. A thoughtful natural respite in a crowded city. They are also a job site, where the pandemic has given the employees much more work to do, while radically impeding their […]
Posted inCOVID, News
The coronavirus’ toll in Colorado: A year of bottomless grief and relentless division
He walked to the microphone in a dark suit and tie, a nervous purpose in his stride. One year ago this week, Gov. Jared Polis stood in a conference room at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s headquarters and looked into the hot glare of television lights. He had come to announce the […]