EL PASO COUNTY — Two months since immunizations started in Colorado and most counties in the state are near ten percent of eligible people getting vaccinated. The rate needs to increase to make doses available to most Coloradans by the end of summer.
"Every week has been an increase,” said El Paso County Public Health, Epidemiologist, Fadi Youkhana. He is part of the team tracking COVID-19 data including the rate of vaccinations.
He says a good measure is looking at the rate of vaccinations the first couple of weeks after immunizations started compared to the most recent week. “Within the last four of five days we've had a seven day average of more than 3,000 a day,” said Youkhana. The average rate in the first weeks back in December was just over 1,000 a day.
"Just to put this within context, the week of [February] the 7th to the 13th our clinics administered more vaccines than the first five weeks combined," Youkahna said. The increasing numbers put counties on track to have more of their population vaccinated by the end of summer than not. The momentum will also increase as vaccine doses from Johnson & Johnson become available and production by other vaccine providers increases.
As the COVID-19 vaccine registration opens up to more Coloradans, we want to give you all the information you need to know before you get vaccinated. Click here to learn more about vaccinations near you and what you need to know about getting a COVID-19 vaccine
