Coronavirus News

A COVID message at the base of Aspen Mountain in Pitkin County.

Local public health department says: add COVID-19 to your cold & flu season shots

Caroline Llanes

COVID-19 is still infecting people in the Roaring Fork Valley. Local public health agencies are encouraging the public to get vaccinated, along with their flu shot, especially to prevent more severe symptoms.

As of Wednesday, half of the four ICU beds at Aspen Valley Hospital were filled, one with a patient who has COVID-19. Another patient with the virus was transferred to Denver over the weekend. “We are a small hospital, so an extra patient makes a big difference,” said Dave Ressler, the hospital’s CEO.

Health & Wellness

Roaring Fork Valley public health agencies respond to end of federal COVID-19 emergency

Caroline Llanes

As the federal COVID-19 emergency declaration sunsets, local agencies will see changes in access to federal funds, some of which previously paid for resources like vaccines and testing.

Aspen Valley Hospital, whose emergency department entrance is pictured here, may have a difficult time transferring patients in need of critical care now that Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs and other hospitals across the state are at capacity.

Health & Wellness

Local and regional hospitals at capacity with influx of mostly unvaccinated COVID-19 patients

Eleanor Bennett

The fifth wave of the pandemic continues to sweep across the state, and local hospitals are once again being stretched thin. As regional hospitals in places such as Grand Junction and Denver fill up, Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs has seen an influx of patients in recent weeks.

Health & Wellness

Pitkin County Masks Up As COVID-19 Continues To Take Its Toll

Eleanor Bennett

The new mask mandate comes on the heels of the fifth recorded death from COVID-19 in Pitkin County since the pandemic began. Eagle County has recorded 30 deaths since the pandemic began, and Garfield County has recorded 57 deaths.

A vaccine is administered at Aspen Valley Hospital earlier this year. Some local vaccine providers are seeing an increase in demand for first doses as people take the Delta variant more seriously.

Health & Wellness

Delta Variant And Summer Travel Likely Behind ‘A Pandemic Of The Unvaccinated’ In Roaring Fork Valley

Eleanor Bennett

With summer tourism peaking and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Aspen and the Valley are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and local health officials are concerned.

Basalt resident Anabel Meza recently got her vaccine at an afterwork clinic inside Carbondale’s Fire House. Meza found out about the Garfield County Public Health pop-up from a post on local Spanish radio station La Tricolor’s Facebook page. “It's exciting, it gives a lot of relief for a lot of us that are willing to do it,” Meza said.

Health & Wellness

In A Race To Reach Herd Immunity, Roaring Fork Valley Pivots To Smaller, More Equitable Vaccine Clinics

Eleanor Bennett

For many local residents, getting a COVID-19 vaccine is now pretty easy, but those vaccines haven’t reached everyone equally. That’s why local activists, governments and hospitals have been focusing their efforts on targeted information and smaller, more equitable clinics.

Carbondale-based Sylvia Johnson shared the stories of people such as Jose. The project was made possible by National Geographic Society’s Emergency Fund for Journalists and created in collaboration with Garfield County Public Health.

Arts & Culture

Local Artist Captures Garfield County Pandemic Vignettes With Spanish-Language Storytelling Project

Alex Hager

Carbondale-based artist Sylvia Johnson spent part of the pandemic working as a contact tracer in Garfield County. Her conversations with people who had COVID-19 became a source of inspiration, which she has now turned into a storytelling project.

Health & Wellness

More Than 40% Of COVID-19 Doses In Pitkin County Have Gone To Non-Residents. Here’s Why

Alex Hager

It’s no secret that the Roaring Fork Valley’s three counties are interconnected and frequented by seasonal visitors, and those factors show up in the…

Health & Wellness

Pitkin County Has The Highest Virus Rate In The State, Again. Here Are The Three Most Likely Causes

Alex Hager

Pitkin County’s COVID-19 incidence rate is the highest in Colorado by a wide margin. As a result, businesses are operating under “orange” level…

Health & Wellness

Local Nonprofit Voces Unidas Calls On Roaring Fork Valley To Ramp Up Vaccine Equity Clinics

Alex Hager

Latinos in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. While they’ve made up a disproportionate number of COVID-19…