Colorado, United States
From today Friday all people are from Colorado They will be able to register online to receive the covid-19 vaccine for free, even those without a legal presence in the country, although each group will have to wait their turn based on their age or occupation, Governor Jared Polis said at a news conference. . .
The Democratic president said it was necessary to “break down the barriers” that prevent the “fair distribution” of the vaccine in this state, given that during the first month of distribution, Caucasians were vaccinated three times as often as minority groups.
In the specific case of Denver, the state capital of 705,000 residents, the Spanish neighborhoods to the west and northeast of the city were the areas with the least vaccinateddespite the fact that 46% of local active cases of coronavirus are recorded there. According to municipal data, a total of less than 40,000 people have been vaccinated in Denver.
And in Pitkin County, where the famous Aspen ski resort is located, local health authorities said this Friday that they “have no explanation” for the increase in coronavirus cases, a situation that is disproportionately affecting Latinos and putting that county under the jurisdiction has the highest proportional number of infections per 100,000 people.
Polis stressed that from now on “everyone will have access to the vaccine” in the context of “rapid and equitable distribution” aimed at “saving lives” and “ending the crisis caused by the pandemic”.
One of the announced measures is the distribution of the vaccine in clinics and community centers, as well as in churches and neighborhood pharmacies, and not just as it has been in large hospitals so far. In addition, efforts will be redoubled to reach the “reluctant communities” that need to be vaccinated (mostly African Americans) through a multilingual educational campaign.
Vaccination Centers
To access the vaccination, the Colorado government will partner with bus companies (public or private) and car pool services to provide free transportation to those in need.
And for those without Internet access, Colorado’s top medical services implemented a telephone reservation system.
According to Polis, 6% of the 5.7 million inhabitants of Colorado. The plan, which he described as “a race against more contagious strains of the coronavirus, involves vaccinating 70% of the over-70s in February and extending vaccination to teachers and other essential workers from March.
As in the rest of the country, health workers and security forces have priority for now. The majority of the Colorado population is expected to have received two doses of the vaccine by mid-year.
“The vaccine is free for everyone and is available regardless of people’s immigration status,” Polis reiterated several times during the announcement of the new measures, which could ultimately benefit about 150,000 undocumented immigrants living in Colorado.