At least 814 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been released from Colorado hospitals. More than a quarter were released Tuesday, according to data presented by Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday.
"Most COVID patients are going to be just fine," Polis told the press in an update on the state's response. "COVID can be fatal for people of all ages but the good news is there are also people of all ages that can make it through. There are survivors that are 104 and survivors that are 20 years old just as there's victims in both age groups as well."
In terms of a cumulative total, at least 1,624 people have been hospitalized. As of April 14, 883 people who tested positive for COVID-19 were still hospitalized, according to the Colorado Hospital Association. Several hundred more are hospitalized without a definitive positive test.
The state's data only counts 90 percent of Colorado hospitals. Hospital administrators began this week to release the number of patients who have recovered enough to be discharged.
As of this writing, 348 people have died of complications from the coronavirus.
"This is critical data that will continue to inform the decisions we are making at the state level for how to best respond to COVID-19," Polis said in an earlier statement from the Colorado Hospital Association. "I applaud the hospitals for finally disclosing this information."
More than 370 patients have been discharged from UCHealth hospitals, according to hospital officials. About 250 patients are still being treated as of late Tuesday. Of those 370, more than 50 were in UCHealth’s southern Colorado hospitals, almost 200 were in metro Denver hospitals and 120 were in Northern Colorado.
"Our numbers of hospitalized patients remain near record highs, however, we’re beginning to see some positive trends," said UCHealth's Dr. Richard Zane in a statement.
Banner hospitals have released 116 COVID-19 patients. That includes North Colorado Medical Center, where many JBS meatpacking plant workers are hospitalized after contracting the infection. Company and state officials say more than 40 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus.
HealthOne hospitals including Swedish Medical Center, Rose Medical Center and Presbyterian/St. Luke’s have released a total of 328 positive COVD19 patients as of Tuesday. A spokesperson from Swedish said 35 have been released from that facility.
