Photo of Liz Copan / Studio Copan
Summit County residents age 75 and older will be eligible to register for a consultation to receive the COVID-19 vaccination as early as this week.
An update on vaccine distribution was given during the Summit County Health Council meeting, Tuesday, December 29, and Public Health Public Affairs Coordinator Nicole Valentine said a link to make an appointment will be made available on the county website.
Public Health Director Amy Wineland said the county has just completed its second week of vaccination for the community, with the first round of the county’s Pfizer vaccine going to hospital staff. Last week, the outpatient team received vaccines and, over the weekend, two drive-thru vaccination clinics were opened for health professionals and first responders.
“Of course, we have a long way to go before we reach our general population, but it is the beginning and it is so exciting,” said Wineland. “In the past two weeks, we’ve given just under 1,000 doses.”
A survey conducted by the St. Anthony Summit Medical Center found that 25% to 33% of team members chose not to get the vaccine for several reasons, said Wineland.
This week, Wineland said the county is setting up another drive-thru clinic on Thursday, December 31, as it received 600 more doses of the Modern vaccine than expected. This clinic will be available to residents aged 75 and over.
County spokeswoman Julie Sutor wrote in an email after the meeting that Summit County residents of this age group can sign up for an interview on the Summit County website at 8:00 am on Wednesday, December 30.
Drive-thru clinics require 29 employees, who can administer more than 300 doses of the vaccine in about four hours. The county has also partnered with Safeway and City Market to provide vaccines to anyone in the current phased distribution plan who is unable to attend scheduled vaccination days.
Wineland noted that the number of residents aged 75 and over in Summit County is about 1,500 individuals. Currently, the county does not have enough doses to vaccinate the entire group, but as more doses arrive, residents of that age group will continue to be prioritized.
Wineland explained that several strategies will be used to try to reach the population aged 75 and over, including the county website, the Summit County Community and Senior Center, health professionals and non-profit organizations like the Family & Intercultural Resource Center. She added that support will be provided in English and Spanish to access the virtual booking application sheet.
Although the vaccine itself is free, Wineland said pharmacies can request insurance information for administrative fees. Insurance information is not requested at the drive-thru clinic.
“We will continue to prioritize our groups (Phase) 1A and 1B in the future just to ensure that they always go to the front of the line because of the occupations they have,” said Wineland. “But we also need to continue to take the vaccine off the shelf and put it in the arms as soon as possible, so we will continue to open these groups as we get vaccines available.”
Wineland noted that Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials came to see Summit County’s drive-thru vaccination clinic last weekend and were impressed by the efficiency, especially in the county’s climate. She said the county is inviting other communities to see how Summit County’s drive-thru clinic works.