‘We are back in the vaccine world again’

More doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are available every day, and as more people get vaccinated, society is looking a bit more like normal.

As of April 2, Colorado is in Phase 2 of vaccine distribution. All Coloradans 16 and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine, and all Coloradans 18 and older are eligible to receive the Moderna or Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.

But where can locals get the vaccine?

At an April 27 meeting of the East Phillips County Hospital District Board of Directors, Melissa Memorial Hospital CEO Cathy Harshbarger said MMH’s vaccine orders had been rejected for five weeks.

As of last week, MMH finally received 300 doses. “We are back in the vaccine world again,” said Harshbarger.

MMH plans to offer 150 vaccines to individuals, reserving the other half of the vaccines for the second dose for those people.

Jennifer Cano, RN, BSN, is currently working on scheduling a clinic next week.

Harshbarger said the state public health office is in charge of allocating how many vaccines are shipped to facilities across the state. It’s based on the supply available, the population, the number of active COVID-19 cases, etc.

Basically, MMH takes whatever it can get. The facility was thankful to have received 200 doses from a canceled health department clinic, which was helpful since they weren’t receiving their own shipments in Holyoke.

So far, MMH has administered a total of 800 doses.

Harshbarger said they are trying to offer the best customer service to people while also strictly following the state protocols on administering the vaccine. She said they never want to give someone the first dose and then not be able to give them the second dose.

It’s also MMH’s goal to not waste any vaccine. Once a vial is thawed, it must be used within six hours. Therefore, the facility must be very strategic in the scheduling of vaccine clinics.

Locals can put their name on the list by calling MMH at 970-854-2241 or by visiting www.melissamemorial.org.

“We still try to honor the high-risk group,” said Harshbarger, noting that they will also be scheduling appointments with younger age groups as more doses come in.

Cano said MMH really appreciates everyone’s patience while the facility does its best to get the vaccine to the community.

Harshbarger said MMH is committed to giving the community more details about the availability of vaccines in the future.

She said that the state-run clinics and mobile units are helping to ease some of the burden on hospitals, some of which, like MMH, have a limited number of staff available to administer the vaccines. Even though the vaccines are free to the public, the vaccine sites do get reimbursed for the effort they put into it.

The state’s mobile vaccination clinic is visiting all four corners of the state and actually made a stop in Holyoke last week. It’s scheduled to be back again Monday, May 17, from 2-6 p.m. at the Phillips County Event Center.

The mobile unit will be offering the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. A reservation is not required, and people do not need insurance or a photo ID to get the 100% free vaccine. For more info or to book an appointment, visit https://www.mobilevax.us/northeast.

“We want to be in your community and we want to make sure it’s convenient to get the vaccine,” said Governor Jared Polis in a press release last week.

“Our data and research show that the vast majority of Coloradans want the vaccine and now it’s about making sure that people make a concrete plan to get it this week or next. Whether it’s visiting one of our community vaccination sites, a clinic in your neighborhood, or visiting our mobile bus clinic, it has never been easier to get the free, safe and amazingly effective vaccine,” he said.

The press release said all six community vaccination sites are now accepting walk-ins when there are available appointments with no advance registration required. However, the closest one to Holyoke is The Ranch in Loveland, which is 161 miles away.

Other vaccination sites in Colorado are listed at https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine/where-you-can-get-vaccinated.

According to the Northeast Colorado Health Department website on Tuesday, 1,256 Phillips County residents have been fully immunized. That’s roughly 28% of the population.

Out of those who have been vaccinated in the county, 23.75% are age 60-69, followed by 18.42% in the 70-79 age group and 15.29% in the 80 and over group. About 74% are white/non-Hispanic, 13% are of unknown race/ethnicity and 12% are Hispanic.

Also on Tuesday morning, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported that nearly 2 million Coloradans have been fully immunized — about 34% of the state’s population.