Pueblo County awaits 1st shipment of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to Pueblo County Health officials, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will make its first appearance in the Steel City sometime this week. However, it is unclear exactly when that will be.

El Paso County hospitals received its first shipments of the vaccine on Monday, and have already begun the vaccination process at hospitals like UCHealth Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs.

Meanwhile, in Pueblo County, they may not know when but they know where the shipments are going. Parkview Medical Center is set to receive 1,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which could arrive as early as Tuesday.

Dr. Sandeep Vijan - Parkview's Chief Medical Doctor - says they still need more time to prepare before the vaccine shipments arrive.

"I need a couple of days because there is safety monitoring," said Dr. Vijan. "There are processes that we have to put in place to ensure everyone gets a safe vaccine. We are still working through those challenges. But if a vaccine shows up this week, we'll be prepared for it."