COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A mass COVID-19 vaccination site opened Monday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, where hundreds of doses will be administered four days a week, said Centura Health, which will operate the site.
"The excitement that people have, the joy that people have, the understanding that there's hope is overwhelming as a family medicine doc," Dr. Ozzie Grenardo, Centura Health chief diversity inclusion officer, said.
The vaccination site was part of a partnership between health providers, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and the office of Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colorado). The state wants six mass vaccination sites operational around the state by next week.
"We really look for sites that are easily accessible, centrally located, and of course can accommodate it right," Polis said. "I mean have the access roads, the ability to handle the traffic."
It will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays by appointment, as allowed by the vaccine supply. On Monday, Centura plans to administer 500 first doses of the Moderna vaccine, followed by 1,750 Moderna doses each day on Tuesday and Wednesday, the health provider said.
"We are able to do 6,000 vaccines a day once we get enough supplies, and we expect that to be as soon as about two weeks from now where this will be going to full capacity," Polis said while visiting the site on Monday.
Polis believes that with the increased supply, anyone over 50 years old who wants a vaccine will be able to get their first dose within the next four weeks.
Sharon Seemann got her vaccine Monday after weeks of waiting.
"I was worried about it, I mean you see ling lines and worry about getting an appointment. I got lucky," Seemann said.
Those eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine under the state's phasing guidelines can go to www.centura.org/vaccine to register and schedule an appointment.
Grenardo hopes that the mass vaccination sites can provide more access for minorities across the state to get the vaccine.
"What we’ve seen with the data is that those people who are interested in getting it, from communities of color getting the vaccine haven’t had the same access that others have had" Grenardo said. "Hopefully, this is another aspect of improving that access."
Grenardo is working with local groups to get more minorities signed up.
"How they work in getting people here that’s another story," Grenardo said. "So, we’re working on that and trying to make sure that those community organizations and people who are represented in those vulnerable populations can get that access."
The site near East 60th Avenue and Quebec Street in Adams County was one of three vaccination sites being operated by Centura Health through the state's Vaccines for All program. The other two are at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs and Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.
Centura planned to open the site at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Monday, no matter the weather. A winter storm was forecast to bring a few inches of snow to the Denver metro area from Sunday night into Monday.
The Broadmoor World Arena vaccination site opened on Wednesday, along with another site at the Grand Junction Convention Center in Mesa County.
In all, the state hopes to open six such vaccination sites around the state. The Ranch in Loveland was expected to open March 24, and Ball Arena in downtown Denver was scheduled to open on April 1.
Seemann said the ability to get the vaccine makes her feel like the pandemic is finally turning the corner.
"Just takes the fear out of it," Seemann said. "Nobody wants to get sick. A lot of people are dying. So, yeah, back to normal."
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Vaccine