There are now 24,041,339 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 398,588 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The latest COVID-19 numbers in Colorado (Updated on Jan. 18):

– 376,171 cases, including 53,460 in Denver County

– 2,301,784 people tested

– The number of deaths directly caused by COVID is 4,502 while the number of deaths among patients who had COVID at their time of death, including those who died of other causes, is 5,386. That number includes 715 deaths in Denver County 

– 1.43% fatality rate in the state

– At least 1,042 active outbreaks

The latest local COVID-19 news:

– Jefferson County to bring middle and high school students back to classrooms in late January. 

– Federal judges in Colorado denied the overwhelming majority of requests to release inmates because of COVID-19 risks.

– Ethnic disparities emerge in Colorado’s first month of COVID-19 vaccinations, white people disproportionately represented in vaccination rates. 

– Direct COVID-19 deaths in Colorado during 2020 appear far below worst projections. 

– Trust, messaging is the key to increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in communities of color, providers say.

– Gov. Jared Polis says the White House, top federal official ‘lied‘ about the size of incoming COVID-19 vaccine allocation.

– Denver indoor dining program gets state approval as coronavirus cases begin to tick upward. 

– Colorado health department confirms the fifth case of the mutant COVID-19 strain in the state.

– Long-term care facilities express concern over ‘vaccine hesitancy‘ among staff members. 

– Colorado’s Pitkin County to go to Level Red COVID-19 restrictions amid highest incidence rate in the state. 

– Colorado will begin vaccinating those 65 and older in the coming weeks, the second step in inoculating older residents in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

– Denver extends contracts to continue housing homeless residents in hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

– ‘Shecession‘ a lingering economic side effect of COVID-19, women with children dropping from labor force. 

– UCHealth to begin a phase three trial for another COVID-19 vaccine, the third since the pandemic began. 

– Colorado’s 70-and-older population is the focus of the state’s current COVID-19 vaccine distribution.