COVID-19: An update on deaths and the Delta variant in Greeley and Weld County

By Kelly Ragan

Let’s start with the good news. So far in the month of June, zero people have died in Weld County because of COVID-19. That is worth celebrating. 

Since the Weld County Department of Health and Environment began tracking deaths in March 2020, at least 241 people in Weld died due to the virus. 

Vaccinations are up across the county, with the health department touting that 53.9% of the county’s 16+ population has been fully vaccinated.

Greeley Emergency Manager Dan Frazen told city council Tuesday that if they count folks who are “in progress,” meaning those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, that number is closer to 60%.

The bad news is that the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, thought to have originated in India, was identified in Colorado in April. 

Colorado now has the second-highest rate of the variant in the country, Frazen said. It now accounts for about 40% of cases in Colorado, whereas the average across the nation is about 10%.  

The Delta variant is believed to be about 50% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was more transmissible than the original virus, according to a report by the Colorado Sun. 

“Vaccines are less effective against it,” Frazen said, “but they’re still in that 80% range of effectiveness against it.” 

For unvaccinated people, the variant could mean trouble -- especially as Colorado continues to reopen. 

According to the Sun, Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemologist, said, “I would say at this point in the pandemic, the risk to unvaccinated individuals is greater than it was several months ago.”

Frazen said the Delta variant hasn’t yet been detected in Greeley. The counties most impacted now are Garfield and Mesa counties. 

This story has been updated.