Colorado will hit its highest confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations since January, Gov. Jared Polis told reporters on Wednesday, but he stressed that the state’s adult and pediatric facilities still have sufficient capacity.

Hospitalizations have climbed steadily since mid-July and are now as numerous as patients seven months ago, when the state was recovering from its massive fall spike. Polis said the hospitalization trend in the state, like the overall growth in cases, has not yet improved. 

But as hospitals, including pediatric facilities, in the South face significant capacity crunches, Polis stressed that the state is still comfortable on bed space. He has long stressed that he will not step in and dictate statewide orders unless there’s a threat to Colorado’s hospital infrastructure. 

Polis said there are now 680 Coloradans hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19. Scores more are still suspected cases. That’s up from 268 confirmed and 35 suspected on July 17. 

The spike in pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations in other states has raised alarm bells across the country. But officials say it’s yet to hit Colorado. Officials from Children’s Hospital Colorado told the Gazette last week that it had seen significant growth in its patient volume, though it attributed the bulk of that to another respiratory virus that’s circulating months before it typically does. 

“I began my remarks by indicating that our hospital capacity is not currently in jeopardy,” the governor said. “… We’re able to serve those in need. There are states that have reached or exceeded their hospital capacity. Those are states that generally have lower vaccination rates than us.”

The risk to children has been of particular interest in parts of the Denver metro area. Douglas County has been roiled by the county commissioners’ decision to opt out of a mask mandate, which the school district promptly adopted itself. The school board met Tuesday night, affirming its support of the policy, and were greeted with more nearly four hours of public comment that was almost universally against universal masking.

Polis had previously said state officials would step in if districts did not implement certain mitigation measures – like masks – and if those districts were forced to return to virtual learning as a result of COVID-19 spread. He reiterated that position Wednesday.

“There are some school districts without mask requirements that are able to stay in person,” he said. “But if they lose that ability over time and they go online, I think it’s time for a serious conversation to say, ‘You can’t just go online and not have in person classes simply because you’re not implementing mask orders.'”