As of Mid-July 2021, Pitkin County was ranked 3rd in the state with 86.3% of eligible residents having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Only San Juan County (with 94.4%) and San Miguel County (with 86.9%) are currently ranked above Pitkin County. In Pitkin County these high numbers can be attributed to the multiple efforts to provide vaccination opportunities to the community from Public Health and numerous partners over the last 6 months. From the incredibly efficient mass clinics held at the Benedict Music Tent, which by far was the site where the majority of doses were administered to our most at risk populations, to school clinics providing vaccines to 12+ year old students within 24 hours of approval from the FDA and final ACIP guidelines, to the current small scale community based clinics aimed at lowering barriers to access vaccines for our local and working populations.
While the percentages above are impressive and demonstrate the willingness of the community to engage with the vaccination effort, there are still portions of our community who haven’t been vaccinated, or who can’t get vaccinated. Based on our total census population of nearly 18,000, we only have 79% of all residents having received at least one dose. However this number does not include our part-time residents, seasonal and commuting work force, or our visitors. All of these unknowns and the fact that not everyone who wants a vaccine has been able to receive one mean that in order to continue to protect our communities most vulnerable, Public Health encourages everyone who is eligible to receive a vaccine to schedule an appointment or walk up to a clinic as soon as you are able. The only way we continue to protect our community from COVID-19 and the variants is to get vaccinated while staying home and seeking testing if experiencing symptoms, regardless of vaccination status. With 61% of Pitkin County’s eligible residents fully vaccinated, and a total of 22,477 doses administered, we have the tools and resources to keep those numbers rising.
Keep track of Pitkin County’s ‘Percent of Eligible County Population Immunized’ here.
