Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs to receive over 1k doses of COVID-19 vaccine
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado is receiving its first shipment of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine Monday and one of the biggest batches is being sent directly to the Children's Hospital Colorado.
Their location in Aurora is expecting to receive almost 5,000 doses within the first shipment, which will be distributed amongst their locations in North Denver, Highlands Ranch, and Colorado Springs.
About 1,200 doses of the vaccine are going to the Colorado Springs location.
Officials with the Children’s Hospital said the vaccines they receive today will be enough to vaccinate about 1,200 members of their staff.
Collectively, all four Children's Hospital locations will receive 4,875 doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. That’s more than many of the 45 other sites in our state receiving this first shipment, many of whom will only receive a few hundred doses from the first batch.
“Children's Hospital has 11,000 health care workers," said Greg Raymond, Operating Officer of Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs. "We here in Colorado Springs will receive about 10% of what has been allocated to Children’s through the state of Colorado.”
Officials with Children's Hospital said they plan to use any doses that remain from this first batch to vaccinate other first-line health care workers outside of their organization.
They’re expecting to receive a second batch of the vaccine by December 23rd.
Officials said they can’t be sure how effective the vaccine will be initially, especially since most people won’t be able to get vaccinated until next summer.
“I think the challenge is how long does it takes us as a state to receive heard immunity," said Raymond. "It’s going to take 70% of the community to develop heard immunity, which will either be through the vaccinations or through getting infected and developing antibodies.”
Officials at Children's Hospital Colorado said before each person gets vaccinated, they must review a six page emergency authorization form and be screened for symptoms that could lead to complications.
