Colorado hit 13,000 deaths due to COVID-19 on Friday, the latest grim milestone in a pandemic that, while slowing, is still claiming the lives of Coloradans.

The tally comes a little more than six weeks after the state hit 12,000. In those six weeks, the virus’s presence here has further fallen; cases are near their lowest levels since late summer 2020, and hospitalizations are also at record lows. 

Amid the worst of the omicron and delta waves in late fall and early winter, Colorado had added roughly 1,000 deaths a month, hitting 8,000 deaths due to the virus in mid-October to 12,000 by Valentine’s Day. Because death data lags, the state likely surpassed the 13,000 milestone days ago.

El Paso County continues to have the highest death toll: Two thousand and sixteen deaths due to COVID-19 came from that county. Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Denver counties account for the next highest tolls. 

Thanks to a relatively high vaccination rate and the sheer scale of infection from the omicron wave, deaths have slowed. Though data may still be backfilled, the state didn’t report more than 50 deaths in a single week in March. In contrast, there was not a week that reported fewer than 100 deaths between mid-September and mid-February, and many surpassed 200.

The seven-day average of daily reported deaths has been below two since March 24. On Jan. 23, that average topped 42 deaths per day.