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Staff member tests positive in 1st new Casey’s Pond case since May 30

Routt County defined has having medium COVID-19 spread

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — With 14 new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, Routt County is defined as having a medium case spread by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

For a population of 25,000, 13 cases in two weeks is defined as a medium spread, and 26 cases in two weeks would be defined as high spread.

In the 11-county region defined as Northwest Colorado, the two-week cumulative incidence rate (50 to 100 cases per 100,000) is currently listed as “moderately high.” The rate describes recent incidences of COVID-19 infection to capture the potential burden of currently ill people who may be infectious and/or accessing health care, according to the CDPHE.



However, the Northwest region continues to see a sustained decline in terms of the epidemic curve over the past two weeks.

On Friday, officials announced a staff member at Casey’s Pond Senior Living had tested positive for COVID-19 — the first person among staff or residents to test positive since May 30.



According to the Routt County Department of Public Health, the woman was asymptomatic and is in her 50s.

According to Casey’s Pond’s website, the woman tested positive after returning from out of town on June 30.

“The team member last worked seven days ago, and it is believed they contracted the virus during this time away,” Casey’s Pond announced on Friday when they received the test results.

“The team member has not been back to work; however, this team member lives at the community,” according to the website. “We are currently conducting extensive contact tracing to see what, if any, resident and associate exposures may have happened when the team member returned to the property. The team member has been in self-quarantine in their Casey’s Pond apartment since being tested on July 1st.”

Routt County Public Health Guidelines to prevent COVID-19 spread
  • Any person confirmed to have COVID-19 should isolate at home for 10 days from the time the symptoms began.
  • All close contacts of a known COVID-19 case should self-quarantine at home for 14 days from the last date of exposure. Close contacts are persons that live in the same household, intimate partners and anyone that has spent more than 15 minutes closer than 6 feet with a confirmed case.
  •  Close contacts of known cases are significantly at higher risk of becoming infected than people that had limited contact with a case. Quarantine helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 that can occur before a person develops symptoms or if they are infected with the virus and are asymptomatic.
  • Close contacts that are symptomatic should contact their medical provider and seek testing immediately
  • Close contacts that are asymptomatic should wait 5 to 7 days from the last date of exposure to seek testing. Testing right after an exposure may be too early in the incubation period to detect the virus. 
  • Keep personal gatherings to 10 or less people.

Mass testing continues at Casey’s Pond, even though the center is no longer considered by the state to be an outbreak situation. As of June 24, 1,336 tests have been conducted at Casey’s Pond.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” Casey’s Pond canceled all weekend activities, plexiglass visits and communal dining for Veranda residents.

“The safety and well-being of everyone who lives and works at Casey’s Pond is our top priority, and in light of this latest positive test for an associate, we are conducting extensive contact tracing to determine potential exposures,” Brad Boatwright, director of Casey’s Pond, said in a news release. “We wish this associate a speedy recovery and are taking every step possible to limit any potential virus spread within Casey’s Pond. At this time, no one is symptomatic, and we continue to check everyone’s temperature and symptoms daily, as well as stringent virus cleanings daily. Everyone continues to wear a mask.”

While outbreaks in long-term care facilities are declining in Colorado, the state is seeing more outbreaks in retail locations, including stores and restaurants. An outbreak is defined by CDHPE as two or more confirmed COVID-19 cases in a facility within a 14-day period.

As of Thursday, there have been 78 positive COVID-19 cases in Routt County with 4,051 tests administered to day. There are 318 test results pending, and 14 cases listed as active. A record 144 people were tested on Wednesday during the weekly community testing event.

To date, there have been five COVID-19 hospitalizations at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. There are no current hospitalizations. As of June 26, there have been an additional five cases involving people who were tested in Routt County but are not residents of Routt County.

Across the country, Florida and Texas reported their biggest daily rise in new confirmed cases over the weekend. Some counties have hospitals at or near capacity.

What impact the increase in travel and gatherings over the Fourth of July weekend remains to be seen. The primary goal at this time, according to local public health officials, is to keep the disease burden at a manageable level and protect the most vulnerable.

To reach Kari Dequine Harden, call 970-871-4205, email kharden@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @kariharden.


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