Colorado to make vaccines eligible to everyone 16 and up starting April 2

DENVER | Colorado will make the COVID-19 vaccine eligible to the general public beginning this Friday, Gov. Jared Polis announced at a Monday news conference, though he cautioned that it still may take time for everyone to get an appointment due to demand. 

Starting April 2, Coloradans 16 and up will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and those 18 and up will be eligible for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Because many slots are already taken by Coloradans currently eligible in phase 1B.4, people may not be able to get a vaccine appointment immediately after becoming eligible.

The full process will probably take about six to eight weeks, Polis said. He asked people who end up getting an appointment in the sixth, seventh or eighth week to be patient. Overall, he painted an optimistic picture of the state’s vaccine timetable.

“By mid to late May, everybody who wants a vaccine will have had the vaccine,” he said.

There are already one million Coloradans who have been fully vaccinated, and 1.5 million who have received at least one dose. Coloradans age 70 and up are 79% vaccinated, those age 65 to 69 are 71% vaccinated and just this morning 70% of Coloradans age 60 to 64 became vaccinated, he said.

Watching elderly Coloradans return to a semblance of normal life has been encouraging, Polis said. However, he asked people to continue following safety protocols while they wait for the vaccine. Variants are circulating in the state and the number of people hospitalized has yet to decline significantly — 324 people are currently hospitalized statewide with the virus.

“Every day we’re getting closer to ending the pandemic, but it is not over yet,” he said.

If people can continue to wear masks and social distance for a little while longer, “we can have a fairly normal summer,” Polis said.

Polis also addressed the shooting last Monday at a King Soopers in Boulder that killed 10 people. He attended the funeral of 23-year-old victim Neven Stanisic over the weekend, saying that his parents are going through “what no parent should have to go through.”

“This pain will be with us for a long time,” Polis said. “Know that the arms of Coloradans are open with love and compassion for those affected.”