DENVER – Colorado’s COVID-19 community vaccination sites will be dismantled at the end of March as part of the state’s plan to live with the virus, health officials announced Tuesday.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) officials said in a news release the transition from community vaccination sites to traditional health care settings would be phased out, with equity in COVID-19 vaccination remaining a top priority through mobile vaccine buses which will run through at least June 30, as the state continues to implement its four-step roadmap to moving away from the emergency phase of the pandemic.
Per the CDPHE, nearly 2,000 providers across Colorado partnered with the state to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to those who wanted them, and 54 local public health agencies as well as multiple community and health care partners not only administered the vaccines, but also provided therapeutic treatments and free COVID-19 testing.
Tuesday’s announcement follows last week’s move by the state to do away with sending free COVID-19 testing kits to people’s homes, though Coloradans can still pick up free testing kits at several locations, including recreation centers, libraries, fire stations, among other community sites.
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State health officials said Colorado is prepared to reestablish not only community vaccination sites, but community testing and therapeutic treatment clinics within four-to-five weeks, should it become necessary to do so.
Other vaccine-related resources and programs that address health disparities and offer free and low-cost vaccinations and health screenings, such as community-based pop-up vaccination clinics, will continue to operate, health officials said.
As Colorado continues to see a decrease in hospitalizations for confirmed cases of COVID-19, health officials urge people who haven’t gotten vaccinated to do so, and for others who’ve been fully vaccinated, health officials recommend staying up to date on their vaccinations so they can be protected against severe disease and hospitalization.
To date, nearly 4 million Coloradans are now fully vaccinated, which amounts to more than 73% of the eligible population. Just under 53% of Coloradans ages 12 and up are boosted, with people under the age of 30 staying behind on their booster doses. People of color across Colorado remain undervaccinated, according to the state's COVID-19 vaccine data.
