The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported 274 active COVID-19 outbreaks at schools, restaurants, stores, churches and other facilities across the state this week, setting a new record.
The previous high mark was set last week, with 236 active outbreaks. The last time before that when more than 200 locations were linked to ongoing coronavirus outbreaks was early June.
The state health department defines an outbreak as two or more cases linked to the same location or event within two weeks. So if two people tested positive on the first day of school, that’s not an outbreak, unless they’d both been at some other event recently. An outbreak is considered over when four weeks have passed with no new cases.
The rising number of active outbreaks come as Colorado is in what state officials have called a “third wave” of the virus, following the early peak in March and June and a second surge in July.