Feb. 6 Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Boulder Community Health (BCH) President & CEO Rob Vissers, M.D. provided an email update on February 6, 2021 to community members regarding COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

On January 29, Gov. Jared Polis expanded the groups eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine to include Coloradans ages 65-69, school educators and staff in pre-kindergarten through high school, along with workers in licensed childcare programs — an estimated 30,000-40,000 people in Boulder County.

The State’s plan says people in this group are eligible to get vaccinated starting February 8 and predicts more than half should be vaccinated by March 5. However, neither of those milestones is likely to happen unless the local supply of vaccine increases very quickly and very generously.

The amount of vaccine available in Boulder County continues to be very limited when compared against the number of people eligible to be vaccinated. While the county’s hospitals and clinics make weekly requests for vaccine from the State, how much we get and when we receive it has changed from week to week.

Because COVID-19 is so deadly to those 70 and older, the Governor has set a goal of getting 70% of those residents vaccinated by February 28. That means 70+ seniors must remain the top priority for BCH for the next several weeks. BCH has already given approximately 9,200 residents age 70 and older their first dose of vaccine, which is about one-third of the group. Another 4,000 70+ seniors have an appointment scheduled for their first dose and about 5,800 have appointments for their second dose.

(Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses for maximum effectiveness).

The quickest and most efficient way to get vaccinated by BCH is through the MyBCH patient portal, which provides unrestricted access to vaccination scheduling. You do not need to be a BCH patient to set up a free MyBCH account.

If you already have a MyBCH account, you should check that your personal information is up to date. If you need to set up an account, you can do that here.

We have set up a call center specifically to help 70-and-older residents register for vaccination. Eligible seniors can call 303-415-7777 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Interpreters are available to assist Spanish-speaking seniors. As you’d expect, we are getting lots of calls, so it will take time to respond to all inquiries. We appreciate your patience.

Eligible community members will be notified when it’s your turn to schedule an appointment through an email from MyBCH.

Vaccine for Health Care Workers and Employees of Schools and Childcare Programs

BCH is partnering with the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) to provide vaccine to its employees. Scheduling of BVSD employees will be handled by the district; questions should be directed to BVSD. Other vaccine providers will be handling employees of independent schools and the St. Vrain Valley School District.

Boulder County Public Health will be coordinating vaccinations for health care workers and workers in licensed childcare programs.

Vaccine for those Ages 65-69

It’s clear that it will be some time before individuals ages 65-69 will be able to get vaccinated. How long that will take depends on how quickly the federal and state governments can make good on their pledges to increase the supply of vaccine. We recognize that many in the 65-69 age group will be frustrated by this situation. We understand and respect your frustration. We at BCH are frustrated, too.

While it will be some time before the 65-69 age group can get vaccine, you can take action now to “get in line” for vaccine by setting up a free MyBCH patient portal account. MyBCH is the quickest and most efficient way to schedule a vaccination from BCH. The MyBCH patient portal provides unrestricted access to vaccination scheduling — you do not need to be a BCH patient to set up a free MyBCH account. You can set up an account here.

If you have trouble setting up your account, you can send questions to this email — MyBCH@bch.org. Our staff is currently receiving a high volume of emails, so they will respond to your message in the order in which it was received as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience.

If you already have a MyBCH account, you should check that your personal information is up to date. You don’t need to take any other actions to be eligible for vaccination.

Eligible community members will be notified when it’s your turn to schedule an appointment through an email from MyBCH.

The State has developed a plan for distributing vaccine to all Colorado citizens. BCH and other Colorado health systems will adhere to those guidelines. You can find updated information on Colorado’s plan here. We anticipate that it will take the majority of this year to vaccinate all Coloradans.

Combined Rapid COVID-Flu Test Now Available

BCH’s three Urgent Care Centers now offer a highly accurate test that can check for both COVID-19 and flu viruses at the same time, returning results in about 20 minutes. Getting accurate results so quickly can help with management and treatment of both viruses.

Appointments are required, along with a telehealth visit prior to testing. You can learn more here.

BCH Urgent Care Centers are located in Erie, Gunbarrel and Superior.

The number of Boulder County residents vaccinated against COVID-19 grows every week. However, it’s important to remember that a vaccinated person may still be able to spread the virus to others. That’s why all of us need to continue wearing masks, washing our hands and social distancing. We thank you for your continued commitment to those important actions.