DENVER (AP) — Anyone 60 and older will be eligible to receive a vaccine for the coronavirus beginning March 5 followed by those 50 and older toward the end of the month, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Friday.
Speaking at a virtual news conference, Polis said some frontline essential workers also will qualify for the first phase, including those who work in the grocery, agriculture and meatpacking industries. Younger people with two or more qualifying medical conditions also can get the vaccine.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
"Whenever we talk about vaccine prioritizations, it's always based on how many vaccines we're getting," Polis said. "As recently as two months ago, we were only getting a three- or four-day notice on how many vaccines we were getting. Very difficult to plan phases, very difficult to plan clinics even. ... We now have a three-week horizon."
The state has already administered nearly 883,000 first doses of the vaccine and more than 423,000 second doses, according to health officials. An increase in vaccine supply is expected in the coming weeks as pharmaceutical companies ramp up production.
"We are moving forward with this plan because of what we know now about the science and our supplies and because we firmly believe that this is the best course of action for the state of Colorado," the governor said. "We're moving as quickly as we can, making every effort to get it right."
Toward the end of March, anyone 50 and older is expected to be eligible for the vaccine, as will a long list of professionals that includes higher education teachers, restaurant workers, Postal Service employees, faith leaders and those who work in public transit and manufacturing.
Colorado has already vaccinated about 90% of frontline health care workers, the governor said. Meanwhile, about two-thirds of residents 70 and older and just over a third of those between the ages of 65 and 69 have received at least one dose.
Nearly a million additional residents will be eligible to receive the vaccine in the phase beginning March 5, and another 2.5 million will be eligible toward the end of that month.
"These are rough numbers, but they are large numbers, so it is going to require patience and it is going to require significant increase in vaccine supply as we move forward through this phasing," said Scott Bookman, incident commander at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Health officials are still trying to determine when the general public will be able to receive the vaccine, a larger group that depends on federal supply.
More than 424,000 people in the state have tested positive and nearly 6,000 have died from the virus since it started its rapid spread last spring, and Polis warned Friday to stay vigilant.
"There are more than enough Coloradans — probably as much as 60 to 70% — that are still fertile ground for this virus," he said.
