Investigating The Third Wave Of COVID In Colorado
At one point in the pandemic, the rate of nursing home deaths in Colorado was the worst in the nation. This was over several weeks last fall during the third wave of COVID-19. How the state got to that point is the subject of a CPR News investigation. Reporter Ben Markus lifts the curtain on why he began looking into this and what he found.
How Colorado Caught COVID: The Third Wave — Part 3
Seniors in nursing homes were the most vulnerable to COVID-19 until vaccines arrived in December 2020. One important way to protect vulnerable seniors is accurate and timely testing. But in Colorado, virtually every testing strategy the state tried for nursing homes failed to keep the virus out of homes, including a $90 million contract with an inexperienced California start-up.
By Ben Markus
How Colorado Caught COVID: The Third Wave — Part 2
As the COVID-19 virus got out of control in Colorado nursing homes late in 2020, help the state had promised for just that kind of scenario didn’t materialize. It left local public health leaders and nursing home operators wondering, “Why aren’t they on the ground yet?” CPR News investigative reporter Ben Markus reports on the strike force that was not really a strike force.
By Ben Markus
How Colorado Caught COVID: The Third Wave — Part 1
A CPR investigation has found that about 1,000 seniors died last fall, as the state lost control of the COVID-19 virus. Colorado’s losses in nursing homes were among the worst in the nation. And yet, the state did not act early enough to slow the spread of the virus inside nursing homes.
By Ben Markus
How Colorado Caught COVID: The Third Wave
Colorado was the deadliest state in the nation for nursing homes between Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. Here’s how it happened.
By Ben Markus
10 Questions You Asked About Firearms And Gun Laws In Colorado, Answered
Does Colorado have universal background checks? Is there a magazine capacity limit?
The Firearm The Accused Boulder Shooter Bought Looks Like A Rifle, But It’s Regulated Like A Pistol
The pistol AR is a little lighter and a little less expensive while still being as deadly as other guns.
By Ben Markus
Boulder Shooting Suspect Identified As Arvada 21-Year-Old
Some of those who knew the man now accused of killing 10 in a Boulder King Soopers remembered him as troubled, but not someone they would have suspected to act […]
Who’s Next? Colorado’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan Creates Confusion For Most, Competition For Some
Eventually, there will be enough vaccine for everyone. But for now, the result is a system that is distributing some vaccine doses unevenly.
Though Colorado Coronavirus Numbers Are Back On The Rise, Polis Surprises With Restriction Rollback
Gov. Jared Polis is basing his optimism on the arrival of vaccines that provide immunity from the virus.
A National Guardsman Is The Coloradan With The New COVID-19 Strain, Polis Expands Vaccine Access
A second National Guard member has a suspected case. Both were assisting a nursing home in Elbert County where all 26 residents tested positive for COVID-19.
By Ben Markus
First US Case Of COVID-19 Variant Confirmed In Colorado
This strain of the coronavirus is thought to be more contagious, but medical professionals say they believe the vaccines are effective in preventing it.
Colorado’s Coronavirus Testing Guru Resigns As State Moves To Vaccinations, Next Response Phase
Sarah Tuneberg, who comes from the tech startup world, felt like it was the right time to leave because she had built the systems that will serve the state well as the pandemic continues.
By Ben Markus
Critics Question Push To Expand ‘5-Star’ Program That Exempts Businesses From Certain Coronavirus Restrictions
The 5-star program was pioneered, and is run exclusively for now, in Mesa County.
By Ben Markus
The Coronavirus Vaccine Is Coming. That Means Planning For The Largest Vaccination Effort In Modern Times
We still don’t know for sure who will get vaccinated for COVID-19 first in Colorado.
By Ben Markus