How to get a COVID-19 vaccine in El Paso County
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — El Paso County Public Health confirms it has entered Phase 1B of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, which largely includes immunizing people 70 and older.
“As of yesterday in El Paso County, we have administered 24,287 vaccines,” said Lisa Powell, Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager for El Paso County Public Health. “And that is both in the healthcare group as well as the over 70 population.”
The health department is using a variety of healthcare providers to help administer vaccines to approximately 100,000 seniors over age 70 in El Paso County.
The partners include the major local hospital networks, some smaller healthcare facilities, and several pharmacy providers:
- UCHealth
- Penrose-St. Francis Health Services (Centura Health)
- Kaiser Permanente
- Peak Vista Community Health Centers
- Matthews-Vu Medical Group
- Optum
- Safeway
Soon, King Soopers and Walmart will be added to the list.
According to Powell, each one of the providers had to be approved by the CDC. Each location has a list of people 70 and older to contact to schedule a vaccine appointment according to their vaccine supply.
The health department clarified it is each person's responsibility to sign up through a provider, and they will not be reaching out first.
However, if you’d like to be put on a particular provider’s list, you can do so on the health department’s website. Click on the box that reads, “How to contact providers (for Coloradans 70+) to find contact information for each facility.
El Paso County Public Health said it chose to administer the vaccine through community partnerships rather than drive-thru clinics to avoid people waiting in long lines.
“While it doesn’t seem as sexy, you can actually get appointments and be scheduled for a vaccine through many of our community partners,” Powell said. “So you’re not standing in long lines having to get there at 2 in the morning, taking the risk that you might not potentially get the vaccine because they run out that day.”
The county hopes 70% of seniors 70 and older will have their first shot of the vaccine by the end of February. Officials said smaller counties may have been able to administer vaccines quicker because of their smaller populations.
Health leaders continue to ask for patience in the distribution process as the county slowly receives more vaccine shipments from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“The entire population is taken into consideration and then split up,” Powell said. “The state of Colorado is 1.69% of the United States population. So we receive less than 2% of all the vaccine that’s available in the United States on a weekly basis. What we’ve not been able to get clear on, is how does the state then allocate that out to each of the counties after that.”
El Paso County Public Health is working on a COVID-19 vaccine hotline for recipients who are more comfortable scheduling an appointment over the phone.
Centura Health recently began administering COVID-19 vaccines to people 70 and older in El Paso and Pueblo Counties.
UCHealth provided some statewide data regarding its vaccine progress. UCHealth said it has sent out more than 45,000 appointment invitations to people age 70 and older across Colorado and has provided vaccinations to about 12,000 seniors statewide.
