HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo.— Centura Health allowed some educators at STEM School Highlands Ranch to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before several other groups, receiving first priority.
State health leaders have projected that teachers wouldn’t start to receive vaccines until March.
Several educators from STEM received their first dose last week. Centura Health wouldn't comment on how many.
Centura Health says when the governor moved teachers up in the vaccine plan they started registering them.
Then the state health department jumped in to halt that process, reminding hospitals health care workers, first responders, and those 70 and older should complete their vaccinations first.
“Centura Health has honored appointments for teachers that were scheduled prior to receiving the updated guidance from the state last week regarding vaccine prioritization,” the hospital said in a statement.
The hospital wouldn’t say if educators from other schools were given the same opportunity during that narrow time frame of unclarity.
They also wouldn’t comment on how far they are in completing vaccinations for those in groups 1A.