DENVER, Colorado — The Biden Administration announced Tuesday it has ordered an additional 200 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. That could be enough for just about every American to be fully vaccinated by the end of summer.
In the near term, states should see an increase of doses by about 20% for the next three weeks. It's welcome news as Colorado's first mass-vaccination site kicks off this weekend. But don't expect a second mass vaccination site anytime soon.
“We did a great trial run, 1,000 Coloradans over age 70 got vaccinated," said Democratic Gov. Jared Polis at his briefing on Tuesday. "This coming weekend they're going to be doing 10,000 people."
That's a massive number, considering the state currently gets 70,000 doses a week. White House projections show Colorado could soon get more than 80,000 a week.
“They need to be in Grand Junction and Pueblo. In Colorado Springs, in Lakewood and Fort Collins in Greeley and Sterling,” Polis said.
That means doses must be spread out given the amount of vaccine the state is getting. Not just by city, but by facility, and 9Health Expert Dr. Kohli said there are a few benefits even beyond access like building trust amongst those unsure of getting this brand new vaccine.
“Going to their doctor, talking to their local pharmacist, talking to the people that they know and trust about the advantages of getting the vaccine really does help them to come on board,” explained Kohli.
Kohli also highlights potential problems with mass-vaccine sites
“When you're in your car monitoring somebody for side effects or an allergic reaction, it's just compromised because it's not, you know, the ability to do that is not the same as when somebody sitting in front of you,” she said.
There haven't been many of those issues and the benefit of volume addresses the speed at which Colorado can reach herd immunity. At this point, the state just doesn't feel it has enough to reproduce what's happening at the Coors Field vaccination site.
“If the supply increases, it's certainly possible there'll be one or two others,” said Polis. “But they certainly can't take the place of community, small- and medium-scale vaccination clinics.”
Not just anyone can show up to Coors Field for a shot this weekend. University of Colorado Hospital is only vaccinating those over the age of 70 who have been given an appointment.
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