COLORADO SPRINGS — One week after receiving Pfizer vaccines, El Paso County Health officials announced Tuesday they have received 300 Moderna vaccines for frontline workers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the green light Sunday to begin administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Americans age 18 and older.
El Paso County Health officials said these vaccines are being distributed to "a local Safeway to administer to additional health care workers in Phase 1A who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients for longer periods of time."
Earlier this month, state health officials explained its vaccine prioritization that falls into four phases: Phase 1A, Phase 1B, Phase 2 and Phase 3. Phase 1A includes vaccinations for those working directly with COVID-19 patients, and residents and staff at long-term care facilities, which have seen among the largest outbreaks and number of deaths in Colorado during the pandemic.
“It is exciting to see our frontline heroes getting timely access to the vaccine, which will help them be able to continue caring for their patients,” said Dr. Robin Johnson, El Paso County Public Health Medical Director, in a release. “This is a monumental effort taking place in our community, and it is a testament to the strength of El Paso County’s response.”
As of Monday, the county is seeing an incidence rate of 816.1 per 100,000 in a 14-day period, 325 average daily cases in the last week, and an 11.20% positivity rate.
This COVID-19 vaccine was developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, and it can be stored at warmer temperatures than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Both vaccines have shown to be more than 90% effective.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both involve two doses. The Pfizer vaccine’s second dose will be delivered 21 days after the first, and the Moderna vaccine’s second dose comes 28 days after the first.
Colorado is currently in Phase 1A of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan, which means vaccines are only available for frontline health care workers at this time.
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