DENVER — COVID-19 hospitalization numbers in Colorado saw a large spike on Monday and Tuesday, but the uptick wasn't due to new cases, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The new data was a result of the state completing investigations of known COVID-19 cases, a new process that went into effect on April 22.
The state on Monday reported 374 additional hospitalizations due to COVID-19, bringing the cumulative total to 4,859. Colorado in recent days had only reported daily increases of a dozen hospitalizations or less.
The state collected the additional data because sometimes a person's illness became more severe, leading to a hospitalization after health officials already conducted an initial investigation.
A public health order on April 22 outline new hospital data reporting requirements. As a result, the CDPHE created a process to match incoming data to existing cases.
As of Tuesday, at least 180 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Colorado, according to data from 92% of hospitals that have reported data. Twenty-one patients had been discharged in the last 24 hours.
