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COVID-19 Vaccine Update
February 01, 2021
As the first FDA-authorized doses of vaccine for COVID-19 are now being administered, we wanted to share this update with you.
Currently, all vaccines are purchased by the federal government and distributed to states. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has set up a distribution plan for the vaccine with three phases.
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Phases | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| 1a - Winter | Highest-risk health care workers and individuals: • People who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. • Licensed Long-term care facility staff and residents. |
| 1b.1 - Winter | Coloradans age 70+, moderate-risk health care workers, and first responders: • Health care workers with less direct contact with COVID-19 patients (e.g. home health, hospice, pharmacy, dental, etc.) and EMS. • Firefighters, police, COVID-19 response personnel, correctional workers, and funeral services. • People age 70 and older. |
| 1b.2 - Winter | Coloradoans ages 65-69, pre-K-12 educators and child care workers in licensed child care programs, and continuity of state government: • Child care workers in licensed child care programs, teachers (full-time and substitutes), bus, food, counselors, administrative, safety and other support services offered inside the school. • Members of the Executive and Judicial branches of state government. • People ages 65-69 |
| 1b.3 - Winter | Frontline essential workers and people age 16-64 with two or more high risk conditions: • Frontline essential workers in food and agriculture, manufacturing, U.S. postal service, public transit and specialized transportation staff, grocery, public health, frontline essential human service workers, faith leaders, and direct care providers for Coloradoans experiencing homelessness, and essential frontline journalists. • People 16-64 with 2 or more high risk conditions as listed: Coloradoans with cancer (patients who are currently receiving treatment or have received treatment within the last month for cancer), chronic kidney disease, COPD, diabetes mellitus, Down syndrome, specific heart conditions (heart failure, cardiomyopathies, or coronary heart disease, and severe valvular/congenital heart disease), obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, solid organ transplant and people with disabilities that prevent them from wearing masks. |
| 2 - Spring | People age 60-64, people with high risk conditions, and the continuation of operations for state government and continuity of local government: • People age 60 to 64. • People age 16 to 59 with 1 high risk condition as listed: Coloradoans with cancer (patients who are currently receiving treatment or have received treatment within the last month for cancer), chronic kidney disease, COPD, diabetes mellitus, Down syndrome, specific heart conditions (heart failure, cardiomyopathies, or coronary heart disease, and severe valvular/congenital heart disease), obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, solid organ transplant and people with disabilities that prevent them from wearing masks and social distancing. • Local continuity of local government defined as executives of those branches of government and a limited amount of essential support staff needed to provide for continuity of government. • Continuation of operations for state government is defined as those individuals defined by continuity of operations plans that each agency holds to continue to provide services. • Adults who received a placebo during COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. |
| 3 - Summer | General public: • Anyone age 16-59 without high risk conditions. |
As soon as the vaccine is available in these phases, local health systems (i.e. University of Colorado Health (UCH), Banner, Kaiser) will make it available to their patients as they qualify within the Phase.
If you do not have a primary physician, now is an excellent time to establish care with a physician, as early immunization may be easier to obtain through primary physicians.
Some resources in the community are:
- Associates in Family Medicine Associates in Family Medicine | Urgent Care | Family Doctor | Fort Collins, CO (afmnoco.com)
- Miramont Family Medicine Miramont Wellness Centers – Family Medicine Fort Collins | Doctor Colorado | Urgent Care 80528
- Salud Family Health Centers Salud Family Health Centers (saludclinic.org)
- UCH Primary Care Primary Care in CO | Family Medicine | Internal Medicine | Pediatrics (uchealth.org)
- Banner Primary Care Banner Health Center in Fort Collins | Drake Rd & College Ave
More information about the vaccine can be found on the Larimer County Department of Public Health and Environment (LCDPHE) Covid Immunization website COVID-19 Vaccine | Larimer County and at the State of Colorado’s immunization website COVID-19 vaccine | Colorado COVID-19 Updates .
As more resources become available in the community, Foothills Gateway will post information about them here.