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Colorado coronavirus latest, June 4: Denver launching fund for workers who don’t qualify for state, federal aid

The city says there are 17,000 immigrants -- some of whom are here illegally -- that have been impacted by COVID-19 but can't get benefits.

COLORADO, USA — The city of Denver is launching a fund to distribute payments to immigrants who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, but are not eligible for state and federal benefits. 

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment announced there were 12,149 initial unemployment claims filed the week ending May 30, the seventh straight week claims have decline.

Those are among the coronavirus updates for the state on Thursday. More details are below, and we'll continue to post information as it comes in throughout the day.

WHAT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

  • 27,360 cases, up from 26,788 the day prior. 
  • 4,460 hospitalized, up from 4,419 the day prior.
  • 1,512 deaths among those who tested positive for COVID-19, up from 1,474 the day prior.
  • 1,255 deaths due to COVID-19, up from 1,228 the day prior.
  • Get the latest data from the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).
  • Polis said restaurants can reopen to in-person dining last week, with strict regulations in place. Day camps and youth sports camps could reopen June 1.
  • Polis extended the state's safer-at-home order to July 1.

Click/tap here to read updates from June 3

Denver launching fund for workers who don’t qualify for state, federal aid 

The City of Denver announced Thursday it is placing $750,000 into a relief fund to help residents impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic who don’t qualify for federal aid.

This includes people who are in the U.S. illegally.

“The people and families who will be helped by this fund work in our city’s restaurants, hotels, venues and the many industries that fueled our thriving economy and made our city the city that it is. They deserve support during this uncertain time as well,” Mayor Michael Hancock said in a news release. “Unlike the federal government, we will not leave some of our friends, families and neighbors behind. We will support all members of our community.”

In addition to the $750,000 from the city, the fund received $400,000 from Open Society Foundations and $580,000 from an anonymous donor, providing $1.73 million in emergency relief.

According to the city, there are more than 17,000 immigrants – some here illegally – who have been left out of state and federal coronavirus relief efforts. Many of them work in the restaurant or hospitality industries – some of those hardest hit by the virus.

To be eligible for aid, workers must demonstrate a loss of income related to COVID-19, and that they are not eligible for both unemployment benefits and CARES Act funding.

Workers will then receive payments of $1,000.

City Council will weigh a contract for Denver’s contribution to the fund at their meeting on Monday.

To connect with potential beneficiaries of the Fund and the fund advisors, please contact Lizeth Chacon with Colorado People’s Alliance (COPA) at Lizeth@ColoradoPeoplesAlliance.org or (720) 938-6588.

Colorado labor department announces seventh straight week of declining unemployment claims

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) announced there were 12,149 initial unemployment claims filed the week ending May 30, the seventh straight week claims have decline.

The week before, CDLE announced 15,603 initial unemployment claims.

CDLE said 6,515 initial claims were made to the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) by gig workers and self-employed workers between May 24 and May 30.

In the past 11 weeks, CDLE said 433,552 initial regular unemployment claims have been filed, and 83,862 initial PUA claims have been field, for a grand total of 517,414.

CDLE said about $315 million and $373 million in regular unemployment benefits were paid out in April and May 2020, respectively. $102.8 million in benefits were paid out in May 2009, the previous highest monthly total CDLE has on record.

Top 5 industries with highest claims: 
Accommodation and Food Services: 2,364
Retail Trade: 1,637
Healthcare and Social Service: 1,536
Administrative and Support and
Waste Management and Remediation Services: 1,277
Manufacturing: 922

Coronavirus cases in Colorado

CDPHE on May 15 changed the way it was reporting data in two ways:

  • The number of deaths among people with COVID-19. This represents the total number of deaths reported among people who have COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate. This information is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is crucial for public health surveillance, as it provides more information about disease transmission and can help identify risk factors among all deaths across populations.
  • The number of deaths among people who died from COVID-19: This represents the total number of people whose death was attributed to COVID-19 as indicated on a death certificate. This number is determined by the CDC and is updated daily for dates through the previous Saturday.

In Colorado, CDPHE reports 26,098 people have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, up from 25,613 the day prior.

Fatalities

CDPHE reports:

  • 1,512 deaths among people with COVID-19
  • 1,255 deaths due to COVID-19

The day prior, 1,474 people had died, 1,228 from COVID-19.

The majority of deaths — 54% — are among people over age 80; 23% of deaths occurred in people between ages 70-79 and 13% were in people ages 60-69.

The graph below shows the total number of people in Colorado who have died after a COVID-19 diagnosis, since the first death happened on March 13.

Hospitalizations

Of those who tested positive for the disease, a total of 4,460 hospitalizations have been reported, up from 4,419 the day prior.

As of 1:01 p.m. on June 3, 261 patients were hospitalized with the disease, according to the most recent data from the Colorado Hospital Association. Within the last 24 hours, 29 patients have been transferred or discharged.

Note: 90% of facilities reported data on June 3. 

This graph below shows the number of people currently hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis and the number of people who have been discharged within 24 hours. This is a key metric because it can be an indicator of whether or not Colorado’s hospital system is being overwhelmed by the virus.

Testing

According to CDPHE, 200,912 people have been tested, up from 194,697 the day prior, and 60 counties are reporting cases, the same number as the day before.

This graph below shows the number of tests the state processed in a day. This is another key metric because the state’s ability to reopen will depend on the number of tests Colorado can run each day. As testing improves, the number of cases will rise because the more tests that are conducted, the more cases will be found.

Positivity is the number of tests that come back with a COVID-19 result. Above 10% could be an indicator that not enough testing is being done and that only people likely to have COVID are getting tested.

Please note that there may be a lull or spike in reported case data due to how it's reported. CDPHE data changes as labs, hospitals, facilities and local agencies report their own data. For example, a spike in the number of deaths does not necessarily mean that many more people died within 24 hours, but rather is indicative of when the data is entered into the system. New data is released daily at 4 p.m.

> See the latest numbers from the state health department.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus that first appeared in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and breathing trouble. Most patients develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.

RELATED: The specifics of each Colorado county's safer-at-home orders

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