Colorado moving to a new phase of COVID-19 vaccination next week – but some will now expect more – The Denver Post

Colorado moving to a new phase of COVID-19 vaccination next week – but some will now expect more – The Denver Post

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Coloradans aged 60 and over, grocery workers and people with two or more chronic health conditions may start receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at the end of next week, but state health officials are postponing vaccinations for restaurant employees and other essential workers who had already qualified for the next inoculation stage.

Phase 1B.3 of the vaccine launch in the state begins on March 5. Includes:

  • People aged 60 and over
  • Essential frontline workers in food and agriculture, including supermarket workers, slaughterhouse workers and agricultural processing workers
  • Persons aged 16 to 59 with two or more high-risk health conditions

Healthy people aged 60 to 64, now in Phase 1B.3, were previously in Phase 2, which is tentatively scheduled for spring.

Other essential workers who were previously in Phase 1B.3 will move on to the newly created Phase 1B.4, which is expected to start around March 21st. The delay is necessary due to supply restrictions with the COVID-19 vaccines, officials said.

“We approach this in a way that tries to save as many lives as possible, and it is just, and it ends the pandemic,” said Governor Jared Polis when announcing the changes during a news conference.

This new Phase 1B.4 includes:

  • People aged 50 and over
  • Higher education teachers and staff for students
  • Essential frontline workers in food / restaurant services, manufacturing, US postal service, public transport and specialized sweating, public health and human services
  • Religious leaders
  • Essential frontline caregivers for homeless people
  • Essential frontline journalists
  • Continuity of local government
  • Continuation of state government operations
  • Adults who received a placebo during a clinical trial of the COVID-19 vaccine
  • People aged 16 to 49 with one more high-risk health condition

The latest modeling report from the Colorado School of Public Health estimated that about one person in 194 is currently contagious, which is a substantial improvement over the autumn peak. If the current trend continues, Colorado may return to summer levels of cases and hospitalizations in April.

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