Colorado Coronavirus Update: 872 New Cases Reported

Colorado began to see an uptick in coronavirus case numbers after the holiday season, but the state has seen a decline since mid-January, public health data shows.

Between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon, 872 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Colorado.

As of Saturday, 427,462 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the state among more than 2,571,000 people who have been tested since the outbreak began, health officials confirmed. Around 23,459 people have been hospitalized.

Colorado's COVID-19 death toll:

• Deaths due to COVID-19: 5,874
• Deaths among cases: 5,945

Around 27 percent of the state's critical care ventilators were in use as of Saturday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

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Around 8 percent of Colorado hospitals reported anticipating staff shortages over the next week, and 4 percent of facilities reported anticipating ICU bed shortages.

Coloradans ages 60 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 1B3 on March 5, Gov. Jared Polis announced during a virtual news conference Friday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Saturday the Johnson & Johnson's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. The company has pledged to provide the country with 100 million doses by the end of June.

>> More information about how and when to get vaccinated in Colorado can be found here.