On January 14th and 15th, Pitkin County Vaccine Incident Management Team (IMT) administered 1150 COVID-19 vaccines in a mass vaccination clinic for 70+ individuals and moderate-risk health care workers. This was a massive undertaking that would not have been possible without our amazing partners, including but not limited to: Pitkin County Public Health, Aspen Valley Hospital, Aspen Ambulance District, Pitkin County Sheriff, Aspen Police Department, Community Health services, and many more.
Pitkin County continues to follow the phasing as outline by the State of Colorado and continues to vaccinate the 1A and 1B groups (above the dotted line). This includes health care workers and public safety / first responders, and individuals 70 and over. The mass vaccination clinic was focused on individuals 70 and over. Pitkin County had hoped to host another mass vaccination clinic this week, but we learned over the weekend that we were not receiving any allocation this week from the State.
“We are extremely disappointed to hear the news, especially after having run two very successful and efficient clinics last week. We want the state, our partners and our community to know that once we receive the vaccines, no dose is left unused, and we are vaccinating our community as quickly as our allocation is available,” said Gabe Muething, Operations Chief for the Pitkin County Vaccine IMT.
We want to remind all members of our community that protection from a vaccine is not immediate. It will take time after the vaccination for the body to respond, after the second dose. The vaccine is a 2-dose series and will take 1 to 2 weeks following the second dose to be considered fully vaccinated. In addition, you must receive your 2nd dose from the same provider you received your 1st dose from.
All vaccinated individuals should continue to follow all current guidance to protect themselves and others, including:
- Vaccinated persons should continue to follow all current guidance to protect themselves and others, including:
- Wearing a mask
- Staying at least 6 feet away from others
- Avoiding crowds
- Washing hands often
- Following quarantine guidance after an exposure to someone with COVID-19
- Following any workplace guidance
As Pitkin County continues to work through the phases of vaccinations, we ask all individuals that live or work in Pitkin County to sign up for vaccination notifications by completing the form on our website in order to stay up to date on eligibility for vaccinations.