Colorado has authorized hospitals to turn away patients as COVID-19 surges in the state

• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order allowing hospitals to decline new patients.
• Sunday's order comes as the state faces a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Colorado's governor is now allowing hospitals to turn away new patients amid the state's COVID-19 emergency.

Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order on Sunday authorizing hospitals to transfer or turn away new admissions as the state wrestles with a surge in virus cases.

Polis said that the order is targeting staffing shortages at hospitals and other healthcare facilities as they battle an uptick in cases largely caused by the Delta variant.

Colorado is averaging over 2,500 COVID-19 cases a day, according to state data.

Currently, over 1,200 people are hospitalized with the virus in Colorado and 37% of healthcare facilities are anticipating staffing shortages within the next week, state data shows.

Thirty percent of facilities are anticipating ICU bed shortages in the next week, and almost 50% of all ventilators are being used.

Meanwhile, 3,572,399 people are fully vaccinated - around 62% of the state's population.