Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
Summit County residents who are 75 years or older can sign up for an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as early as this week.
An update on the distribution of vaccines was given at the Summit County Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, December 29th. Public health coordinator Nicole Valentine said a link to make an appointment would be available on the country’s website.
Amy Wineland, director of public health, said the province had just completed its second week of giving vaccinations to the community, with the first round of the Pfizer vaccine in the province going to hospital staff. Last week, outpatient staff received vaccinations, and over the weekend there were two vaccination clinics that were open to health workers and first responders.
“Of course we have a way to go before we go to our general population, but that’s the beginning, and it’s so exciting,” Wineland said. “In the last two weeks, we have given just under 1,000 doses.”
In a survey conducted by the St. Anthony Summit Medical Center found that 25% to 33% of staff members chose not to take the vaccine for various reasons, Wineland said.
This week, Wineland said the country is putting together another transit clinic on Thursday, December 31, because it received 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine as expected. This clinic is available to residents 75 years and older.
Provincial spokeswoman Julie Sutor wrote in an email after the meeting that Summit County residents can sign up for this age group for an appointment on the Summit County website, which begins Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 8 p.m.
The transit clinics require 29 staff members who can administer more than 300 doses of the vaccine in about four hours. The province has also partnered with Safeway and City Market to provide vaccinations for anyone in the current phase distribution plan who cannot meet the scheduled vaccination days.
Wineland noted that the number of residents aged 75 and older in Summit County is about 1,500 individuals. The province currently does not have enough doses to vaccinate the whole group, but as more doses come in, residents in the age group will still enjoy priority.
Wineland explained that various strategies will be used to reach the population aged 75 and older, including the country’s website, the Summit County Community and Senior Center, health care workers and nonprofits such as the Family & Intercultural Resource Center. She added that support will be provided in English and Spanish for access to the virtual dating registration page.
While the vaccine itself is free, Wineland said pharmacies can ask for insurance information for administrative fees. Insurance information is not requested at the transit clinic.
“We continue to put our (Phase) 1A and 1B groups first just to make sure they always go to the front of the queue, because of the careers they have,” Wineland said. “But we must also continue to get the vaccine off the shelf as soon as possible, and therefore we will continue to open up the groups as we have vaccinations available.”
Wineland noted that officials from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment came to observe the drive-by vaccination clinic of Summit County this past weekend and were impressed by the effectiveness, especially amid the country’s climate. She said the county invites other communities to look at how Summit County’s transit clinic works.