The number of new coronavirus cases in Colorado skyrocketed by nearly 1,200 Thursday to 4,591 – the state’s largest single-day rise since the global health crisis began.

The presence of the virus in the state is such that contact tracing is no longer possible for all cases, said Eric France, the state’s chief medical officer, at a virtual news conference Thursday, likening the virus’ rapid spread to a coal train barreling through the state.

“We all have to do what we can with what we have today,” he said.

“Certainly, what’s on my mind is the day when ICU capacity is overwhelmed, and I would have to activate a potential crisis plan of care for hospitals,” he added, referencing a state plan that would guide hospitals in determining who should receive treatment in case of a resource shortage.

Measures state and local governments are taking to quell the rise in cases of the sometimes deadly virus are “really all about preventing a terrible time when triage might have to happen in our hospitals,” he said.

If the virus continues growing unabated, that plan will need to be activated in December, when hospital capacity is expected to be exceeded, he added.

“Decisions will have to be made about which of us gets the ICU bed,” he said.

On Thursday, France reported nearly 5,200 new cases, though slightly more than 600 of those cases were from a past date.

A potentially realistic, best-case scenario might entail slow growth next week, followed by a plateau, if the tightening of restrictions in many counties this week is effective, France said.

But it took about 19 days to see the virus’ growth rate slow down after the state locked down last spring, he added.

“Are we so far along that we’ve lost the battle already? I don’t think so,” France said. “I think we still have tools in our toolbelt that we could be using. I think local and state leaders will start to use those, if that’s truly necessary.”

As of Wednesday, nearly 12% of Coloradans tested for the virus have been found to have the disease, more than double the 5% maximum recommended by the World Health Organization for communities to reopen.

On Thursday, ICU bed usage was at 85% of capacity. Adult ventilator use continued to hover around 40%.

The state is working with the Colorado Hospital Association to balance patient load among facilities and increase capacity at hospitals, said Kevin Klein, director of the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Use of surge facilities is a “very last resort” that would, as he put it, drain an overflowing bathtub.

The state has three alternative care sites that could be ready in two to four weeks, and daily briefings are being held that monitor hospital capacity, he said.

France said he sees a “light at the end of the tunnel,” referencing the promise an effective vaccine would bring.

Tens of millions of doses of a vaccine are “hopefully coming to Colorado in early 2021,” though front-line workers and high-risk populations would be prioritized. 

It may not be until the summer that healthy 18- to 64-year-olds can receive a vaccine, though it’s possibley that a vaccine could be available at retail pharmacies as soon as this spring, he said.

Gazette reporters Mary Shinn and Breeanna Jent contributed to this report.