COLORADO SPRINGS | Health officials in Colorado say a man in his 60s has died of the coronavirus.
Michelle Hewitt, a spokeswoman for El Paso County Public Health, said Thursday the man had been in contact with a woman in her 80s who was the first person in the state to die of the virus. The woman had underlying health conditions and lived alone in the county south of Denver.
Hewitt would not confirm the relationship between the two and declined to release any other information about the death, the third in the state related to the coronavirus. The second reported death was a man in his 70s who lived in northern Colorado’s Weld County.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Hewitt says health officials are prioritizing testing for health care workers and elderly people who have other conditions that could put them at risk.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
