*Total COVID-19 Cases: 75,592 (+592)

Total Cases in Berthoud: 3,376 (+21)

Deaths in Larimer County: 467 (+1)

7-day case rate per 100k: 102 (-56)

7-Day test positivity rate: 4.4%

Risk Score: Low

Deaths attributed to the virus comprise 0.62% of reported cases. Of reported deaths, 24% were age 75 to 84, 20% were 65-74 and 38% were 85 and older. Thirty-three people in the county between the ages of 18-54 have died.

As of Monday, Feb. 28, there have been 620,403 doses of the vaccines administered in Larimer County. 79.8% of eligible county residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

*Case data as of Wednesday.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Coloradans deserve a driver’s license or I.D. card that’s as beautiful as the Centennial State and with the Iconic Credential, they can now get one!

The Iconic Credential was designed by Coloradans, for Coloradans! The new card features artwork from Colorado photographers Matt Nunez (front side) and Gabriel Dupon (back side). More than 55,000 Coloradans voiced their choice, picking Nunez and Dupon over 400 other submissions by almost 120 entrants in 2020’s Iconic Colorado contest.

Coloradans who would like to obtain the Iconic Credential can renew (or obtain) their driver license or ID card online via myDMV.Colorado.gov or the myColorado™ app; or in-office.

Credential renewals, as well as 44 other services including appointments, are available online at myDMV.Colorado.gov. Coloradans seeking in-office service will need to schedule an appointment and can find scheduling information, including a visual walkthrough, at DMV.Colorado.gov/AppointmentScheduling.

https://dmv.colorado.gov/newcard

++++++++++++++++++++++

The Larimer County Department of Health & Environment (LCDHE) is updating its COVID-19 Data Dashboard to align with how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determines the strain on communities and healthcare systems due to COVID-19. Residents who closely follow Larimer County’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard will notice updates and changes to the dashboard’s features this week.

With more tools than ever before available to prevent COVID-19 from placing strain on communities and healthcare systems, last week CDC introduced COVID-19 Community Levels. This is a new way to help communities and individuals make decisions based on the impact of COVID-19 illness on health and healthcare systems. With current high levels of population immunity from both vaccination and infections, the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 is greatly reduced for most people.

The CDC now looks at a combination of three metrics — new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the past 7 days — to determine the COVID-19 community level. Larimer County’s dashboard will now provide the most current and accurate local data for these metrics, which currently place Larimer County in the Low risk level. At times, the CDC data may differ from Larimer County’s data due to differences in how data were collected, how metrics were calculated, or the timing of web updates. At this time, the data displayed on the CDC site is delayed by multiple days compared to the data reported by LCDHE.

The most recent updates include:

• The removal of Larimer County’s Risk Score Factors meter that indicated low, medium, and high risk scores. The colors of the indicator “sliders” are no longer on a green, yellow, and red gradient because they are no longer tied to a risk score or to Colorado’s retired Dial. The 7-Day Case Rate per 100,000 and the 7-Day Percent Positivity meters will continue to operate and display data and will continue to reflect the percent increase or decrease week over week.

• The removal of the CDC Risk of Transmission meter. The CDC is now using Community Levels to reflect the impact of COVID-19 illness on health and healthcare systems. A new meter indicating Levels Low, Medium, or High has replaced the Risk of Transmission meter.

• The removal of the Number of COVID-19 Patients in Hospitals indicator and graphs.

• The removal of the Percentage of ICU Utilization indicators and graphs. Hospital capacity is no longer being significantly impacted by COVID-19. When the capacity of area hospitals is challenged due to COVID-19 or other public health threats, hospital systems will notify LCDHE. If this occurs, LCDHE will consider what local recommendations or actions may be needed to protect hospital capacity and the health of the community.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine has roiled the oil market, with crude spiking to over $100 per barrel before settling back into the mid-$90s. The increase in the global price of oil has led to higher pump prices in the United States, with the national average for a gallon of gas rising to $3.61, eight cents more than week ago.

In Colorado, the statewide average is $3.37, up three cents from a week ago, eight cents on the month, and 73 cents over this time last year. That’s the highest average recorded for this time of year since 2014, with prices expected to rise as seasonal demand grows with significant spikes possible in 2022 amid international uncertainty.

“Russia’s invasion and the responding escalating series of financial sanctions by the U.S. and its allies have sent jitters across the global oil market,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA. “Just like the stock market, the oil market responds poorly to volatility. It’s an explosive situation, and a grim reminder that events on the far side of the globe can have a ripple effect for American consumers.”

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 600,000 barrels to 246.5 million barrels last week. Meanwhile, gasoline demand rose slightly from 8.57 million barrels per day to 8.66 million barrels per day. The increase in gas demand and a reduction in total supply contribute to rising pump prices, although increasing crude oil prices play the lead role in pushing gas prices higher.