Health officials are tracking gaps where the COVID vaccine is not being distributed as widely to those 70 and older in areas such as at the northern edge of Boulder County, including parts of Longmont, and its southeast and southwest corners.
It also is planning to partner with community organizations to reach minority communities with education about vaccines and the vaccines themselves.
Currently, nearly 80% of county residents 70 and older and 32.7% of those ages 65 to 69 have received at least one dose of the vaccine. A total of 49,452 residents had received at least one dose as of Monday, according to Boulder County Public Health.
While 50,503 residents have received at least one dose of the two-shot protocol, the county has identified several barriers to reaching marginalized populations, Chris Campbell, Boulder County Public Health emergency manager, said Wednesday during the now biweekly COVID-19 community update.
One of the biggest challenges is a lack of education in the community about the vaccine, Campbell said. The county is working with cultural brokers, community influencers and community members to launch a long-term vaccine education effort.
It also is partnering with organizations, including El Comité of Longmont and Out Boulder County, that will serve as community ambassadors.
This map, presented during the Boulder County Public Health COVID community update on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, shows areas where vaccine distribution is lagging. By Screenshot from virtual meetingA series of town halls, in Spanish and English, also will be held to answer community questions about the vaccine.
Campbell attributed some of the challenges in vaccine distribution to “mistrust, political influence, rushed (vaccine roll out), side effects and long-term effects.”
Among the key messages the county is emphasizing to build trust in vaccines is that they must be proven safe and effective before they are given to people. Other themes include how vaccines protect friends, family and community members, and how more people getting vaccinated will help end the pandemic.
To reach and vaccinate more people, the county is working on plans for both mobile and community clinics.
Mobile clinics would focus on those with limited mobility, Boulder County’s mountain communities and the homebound, providing around 250 doses of the vaccine at each clinic.
Community clinics would focus on racial and ethnic minorities and priority populations and would serve a large number of people at locations such as the Boulder County Fairgrounds.
One barrier to launching such clinics are budget restraints, Campbell said.
“We are making progress but it is taking time to do it well and do it right,” Campbell said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 18,723 confirmed or probable COVID cases in Boulder County, with 536 hospitalized with the virus, according to public health data. Deaths of those with COVID totaled 246.
COVID data
For information on Boulder County COVID cases, deaths, hospitalizations and trends, click here.
Statewide, as of Wednesday afternoon there were 423,558 cases, 5,917 deaths among cases and 5,837 deaths due to COVID, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
As of Tuesday, 411,107 Coloradans had received the full vaccine protocol, with another 824,298 having received their first dose.
