At least 250 people now have died from complications of the novel coronavirus in Colorado, as hospitalizations increased to 1,312, state health officials said Friday.

More than 6,500 people have now tested positive for COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory illness caused by the virus, even as Gov. Jared Polis and top public health officials have repeatedly said the lack of widespread testing means the true number of infections is likely four to 10 times higher than the confirmed case count.

Health officials also confirmed 59 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities around the state.

The state health department announces new totals daily of coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases based on what’s reported up from Colorado’s counties; though the deaths and positive test results may be announced on a particular day, they may have occurred any time in the past and are just now being reported to the state.

The additional deaths reported Friday include the state’s second person in their 20s. A 21-year-old Colorado Mesa University student died of the illness this week.

The state is preparing for a surge in COVID-19 patients, which could come next month. Officials said Thursday that social distancing measures and the governor’s stay at home mandate have successfully pushed the curve to the right, allowing more time for the state to acquire much-needed medicals supplies and ready outside facilities should hospitals be overwhelmed.

Polis unveiled one of those spaces Friday — the Colorado Convention Center in the heart of Denver, which will be able to hold 2,000 beds should they be needed. Hundreds of those beds should be available by April 18, he said in a news conference, as crews hustle to finish a project that normally takes multiple years to complete.

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