Garfield County had 13 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The state health department is counting cases where patients with COVID-19 symptoms and contact with other confirmed cases as positive, even if there hasn’t been a formal test done by the state.
“This new format, which will initially show a jump in COVID-19 cases in Garfield County, assumes that symptomatic individuals who have had close contact with people that have lab-confirmed COVID-19, also have COVID-19,” the Garfield County Department of Public Health said in a press release.
Tests for COVID-19 are not being done for individuals who have manageable symptoms.
“In general, there are no COVID-19 tests being administered to individuals with mild or manageable COVID-19 symptoms at this time,” according to the news release.
County health officials ask people to assume that the new coronavirus is spreading through the community, but the county will not release the town where persons have tested positive to protect the private health information of COVID-19 patients.
People with symptoms should not go to a hospital or clinic, but self-isolate and manage their symptoms. The bilingual Aspen to Parachute COVID-19 hotline is available for those with any questions at 970-429-6186.