13 Investigates looks at Pueblo neighborhoods in need of COVID vaccines
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Based on numbers obtained from Pueblo health officials, 13 Investigates learned Pueblo's east side and Belmont neighborhoods have the most holdouts in the county.
According to the state's numbers, Pueblo County's COVID vaccine rate currently ranks 35th amongst all counties in Colorado. More than 75% of eligible Coloradans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In Pueblo, the number sits around 61%.
“We have to bring it to the neighborhood," said Pueblo County Health Director Randy Evetts. "We have to make (the vaccine) as easy and convenient as possible.”
The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment used maps based on zip codes to see where vaccines need to go, and which neighborhoods possess the most holdouts.
According to the map, which includes 10 and 11 year-olds who are still ineligible to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine in Colorado, zip code 81001 - Belmont and Pueblo's east side - have more than 14,000 residents with at least one dose of the vaccine.
That's a vaccination rate of approximately 53%. Health officials believe around 13,000 residents in the 81001 neighborhoods are still holding out on getting that first dose of the COVID vaccine.
However, 81001 isn't the only Pueblo County zip code with a low vaccination rate.
The 81004 area, which includes Mesa Junction, the south side, and the Bessemer neighborhood, is in a similar predicament. The vaccine rate in those neighborhoods is barely above 50% with more than 11,000 people getting their first dose.
The lowest vaccination rate according to the map provided by Pueblo Health is in the 81022 - the southeast corner of Pueblo County. Data shows 40.2% of the population there have received their first dose of the vaccine, however, those communities are far less populous than the 81004 and 81001 with only 589 receiving their first dose.
“I don’t feel like those zip codes are holding us back," said Evetts. "We are just trying to identify what those barriers are.”
Evetts believes there are a lot of factors in play -- including transportation issues, language barriers, vaccine misinformation, and a lack of access.
“In part of our east side we don’t even have a grocery store chain," said Evetts. "So there is not even a neighborhood place to go and schedule a time to get a vaccine.”
To break through barriers, Evetts says Pueblo's health department is doing everything it can to meet the people where they are.
Pueblo Health officials are working with the state and their bus fleet to bring doses directly to those neighborhoods with low vaccination rates. On top of that, Evetts says their work with the Center for Help Progress has been critical to reaching out to those hesitant neighbors. Sometimes even going door to door with education campaigns or even in-house vaccinations.
“In some of those neighborhoods there is sort of a lack of trust in the government systems," said Evetts. "We’re not judging that. We’ve been told that’s a barrier and that makes them fearful or they aren’t comfortable with that. We are trying a variety of other strategies to reach that population.”
Evetts says age is a primary indicator of vaccination rates. The younger the community -- the health officials see a larger number of vaccine holdouts.
In Honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, state health officials will hold mobile vaccine clinics all across the state -- which includes two in Pueblo.
The first at Pueblo East High School is on Saturday, September 18, from 2-6 p.m.
Then a second mobile clinic will be held at the United Steelworkers 2102 Hall from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, September 24th.
Both clinics will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and first or second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
