DENVER – The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is proposing an update to the COVID-19 dialing system, which has been used to balance the containment of COVID-19 and the need for guidance during the pandemic.
The proposed update – called Dial 2.0 – would have an impact on the business operations and daily lives of Coloradians.
As part of the proposed change, the dial upgrades would be based on how many people are infected with COVID-19 along with the number of people who have been vaccinated. These updates are currently based on 14-day periods. Under the new proposal, it would be changed to periods of seven days.
Another potential update would include a lower percentage of coloradans who need a positive test for COVID-19 in order for a county to move to the yellow or orange level.
In counties with less than 20,000 inhabitants, CDPHE would have the ability to determine the level it considers appropriate based on positivity rates.
At a news conference on Monday morning, Dr. Eric France, medical director of CDPHE, said that these changes make sense when you look at the life expectancy of a pandemic.
“Now, we are in a place where health professionals and the most vulnerable who are most likely to die or be hospitalized are being vaccinated,” he said. “And, therefore, it is a different place than six months ago, when the dial was built in partnership with the communities. “
CDPHE is analyzing the prevalence of the disease in a community, its rate of positivity and hospitalizations.
“These different things can play a different role for the next generation of the dial, which is absolutely what we should be doing, since we are in a different place in the pandemic,” said France.
CDPHE is giving coloradans the opportunity to comment on these proposed updates.
You can send your comments and feedback on these changes via clicking here and filling out a Google form.