DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis on Friday said he expects all adult Coloradans to be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by mid-April, aiming for a sooner target date than the national goal of May 1 that was announced by President Joe Biden this week.
Colorado is also moving up the eligibility date for phase 1.B4 by two days to March 19. At that point, half of the state population will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Phase 1.B4 includes all 50-and-older Coloradans, plus essential workers such as restaurant employees. In total, 2,505,310 people will be eligible in 1.B4.
The state will provide signup information about community vaccination sites on March 17.
Colorado is receiving about 200,000 doses of the vaccine per week, a total comprised of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. The state is also receiving smaller shipments of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and expects up to 84,500 doses in the week of April 4.
The state is still working to finalize and exact date for the mid-April eligibility for all Coloradans. But the announcement by Polis was the firmest timeline given by state officials yet. It remains unclear how long it will take to distribute the vaccine to anyone who wants it, though Polis said the state hopes that everyone can receive a vaccine by the end of May.
Still, healthcare providers will still prioritize people in more vulnerable populations, if they have not received the vaccine yet.
As Colorado ramps up vaccinations efforts, the state plans to open several mass vaccination sites in the next few weeks.
Those sites — which will be able to vaccinate up to 6,000 people per day — will include locations in Mesa County and El Paso County (Broadmoor Arena) opening March 17; Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Adams County and The Ranch in Larimer County on March 22; and Ball Arena in Denver on April 1.
Phase 1.B4 also includes higher education faculty and staff, postal workers, manufacturing workers and faith leaders.
Scott Bookman, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment incident commander, said people who are eligible through their job should coordinate with their employer on when they can receive the vaccine.
