One of the leaders of Colorado’s COVID-19 vaccination effort tried to lower people’s expectations on Monday, saying that many people aged 65 to 69 will not get the vaccine for another month.
Governor Jared Polis had said at the end of last week that this age group, plus those who work directly with children from preschool through 12th grade and daycare professionals would be eligible for the vaccine starting February 8. Currently, only health professionals, first responders and people over 70 are eligible.
About 39% of Colorado’s population over 70 shot the first shot, Colorado National Guard General Scott Sherman told a news conference. The state will continue to prioritize people over 70, he said, meaning that about half of those aged 65 to 69 will likely have to wait until March for their first injection.
He did not specify how the state would ensure that its older residents go first and asked newly eligible people to be patient and not sign up for multiple waiting lists. This directly contradicts the governor, who recently said he saw no problem with joining more than one list.
“It just delays an appointment that someone else could be using,” said Sherman.
If vaccination continues as projected, the state will exceed the goal of vaccinating at least 70% of people aged 70 and over by the end of February, he said.
Vaccination of the most vulnerable groups will allow the state to change its metrics and restrictions, said Dr. Eric France, medical director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The framework tries to standardize how many people a company or activity can host, based on new cases in each municipality, hospitalizations and the percentage of tests that are positive.
The draft proposal, which was released on Saturday, would increase the number of cases a county may have before being forced to adopt stronger restrictions. On the other hand, it would decrease the percentage of positive tests needed to trigger further restrictions.