Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

SO PAULOChinas effort to boost its image by providing Covid-19 vaccines to the developing world suffered a setback after one of its leading inoculation candidates turned out to be 50% effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, significantly lower than earlier results showed.

While Sinovacs CoronaVac efficacy rate still meets the 50% threshold the World Health Organization considers good enough for widespread use, scientists said a lack of transparency about the data risks damaging the credibility of a vaccine Brazilians and others world-wide are already reluctant to take.

Brazils Butantan Institute, a So Paulo-based public institute that is the first to complete late-stage trials of the CoronaVac vaccine, had said last week that it was shown to be 78% effective and offer total protection against severe cases of the disease.

But after rising pressure from Brazilian scientists, some of whom accused the trials organizers of misleading the public, Butantan said Tuesday those rates only included volunteers who suffered mild to severe cases of Covid-19. When data from all volunteers was consideredincluding those who contracted very mild cases of Covid-19 and required no medical assistancethe total efficacy rate fell to 50.4%, Butantan said.

Sinovac didnt respond to requests for comment.

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Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine Far Less Effective Than Initially Touted in Brazil - The Wall Street Journal

Out of the more than 22 million doses of vaccine that have been distributed to hospitals and pharmacies so far in the United States, only about 6.7 million people have received their first dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There's no one reason for the slow rollout or doses going unused; experts say it was never going to be easy to begin a mass vaccination campaign during a pandemic. It takes time to vaccinate and monitor large numbers of people, and some facilities are staggering staff vaccinations to avoid having too many health care workers out at once.

The supply and demand don't always line up. Some in the highest priority groups -- health care workers and and long-term care facility residents -- don't want the vaccine, or at least, not yet. At the same time, the American Medical Association on Friday said it was "concerned" that some health care workers not employed by hospitals or health care systems face difficulties accessing the vaccine.

To speed up the process, the federal government is urging states to offer the vaccine to people who are older or in higher-risk groups, but some areas are still focusing on the earliest priority groups -- even if that means doses brought out of cold storage go unused.

"Every dose that's in somebody's arm is somebody that's not going to get sick with Covid," he said. "It's not doing any good trying to ration it out like this, week by week, because any dose that's sitting in a refrigerator is a life that's not being potentially saved."

Searching for people to vaccinate

That will start Monday, when New York will open up to first responders, teachers and residents 75 and older, in addition to prioritizing health care workers.

Frustration had already been mounting. On Tuesday evening last week, nurses from the Family Health Center of Harlem in New York traveled through the neighborhood trying to find people who were eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

The health center had a few extra doses of the Moderna vaccine that had been taken out of cold storage. The doses were supposed to be administered to health care workers -- but some did not show up for their appointments, and the clock was ticking.

"It expires six hours after you take the first dose out of the vial," Calman said.

That evening, the nurses "went out in the community, and they went to two open pharmacies and they asked whether any of the pharmacists who were there had wanted the vaccine," Calman said. "They went to a firehouse, which is down the street, to see if any of the people in the firehouse needed vaccine. ... They went to a residential facility."

By the end of that evening, there were still "three to four" doses left and they were discarded, Calman said.

"We should maintain the priority levels -- I think it's very important to have health care workers first, and to be able to bring teachers in now and others," Calman said. "But during that time, the health care provider community should be able to be vaccinating our highest risk patients, and be able to use our professional judgment in terms of who those people are and who we can get vaccine to."

'We expect these issues to be worked out'

Across the country, Legacy Health, a nonprofit health system with six hospitals in Oregon and southwest Washington, confirmed to CNN on Friday that, during its early vaccination efforts last month, 27 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine were thrown away because they expired before there was time to get them into arms -- and some initial information provided about the vaccine was unclear.

Brian Terrett, a spokesperson for Legacy Health, told CNN in an email that hospitals under Legacy Health scheduled vaccinations based on the initial information provided that each vial of vaccine contains five doses. It turns out that some vials contain six or seven doses -- and at the time, hospitals had extra doses, but no one scheduled or available to give them to.

So, "the 27 expired doses occurred early in our vaccination effort when we had more vaccines than patients," Terrett said. "Having six or seven doses in a vial has allowed us to vaccinate almost 700 more people than we were allocated. For every expired vaccine, Legacy vaccinated almost 25 more people than we expected."

As reports emerge nationwide of Covid-19 vaccines at some hospitals going unused, the American Hospital Association responded in a statement that it expects "these issues to be worked out."

The association represents and serves US hospitals and health care networks.

"America's hospitals and health systems are working hard to administer COVID-19 vaccines as quickly and safely as possible, doing so as prescribed in their state or local jurisdiction's microplan," Rick Pollack, AHA's president and CEO, said in a statement emailed to CNN on Friday.

"At the same time, we continue to care for a large amount of COVID-19 patients under very stressed circumstances involving PPE shortages, worker shortages and limited ICU bed capacity in certain areas. Mass vaccination is a huge and complex process -- and not unlike any other effort of this kind -- there are always bumps in the road on any large governmental endeavor, particularly at the beginning," Pollack said in part. "We expect these issues to be worked out, and the pace of vaccinations will increase dramatically over the coming weeks."

Slow rollouts in long-term care facilities

Vaccinations for long-term care facility residents and staff are also moving slowly in many places. As of Friday morning, more than 4 million doses had been distributed for use in long-term care facilities, but less than 700,000 eligible individuals had received their first dose.

The federal government partnered with CVS and Walgreens to facilitate vaccination in participating long-term care facilities.

In a statement published Wednesday, CVS said that the number of residents requiring vaccination was 20-30% lower than initial projections and that "initial uptake among staff is low," though part of that may be due to facilities staggering vaccination among staff.

Walgreens, meanwhile, told CNN that any unused doses are reallocated to the next scheduled clinic at a long-term care facility, and any doses that may expire before then "may be used to vaccinate Walgreens team members who are eligible to receive vaccines as part of the Phase 1a plan outlined by the CDC and states."

West Virginia has been leading the United States in vaccine doses administered per capita, and long-term care facilities may be part of the reason. West Virginia was the only state to opt out of the federal program to distribute Covid-19 vaccine to long-term care facility staff and residents; it started vaccinating people in those facilities about a week before the federal program started in other states.

More than 40% of pharmacies in West Virginia are not chain-affiliated, and the state wanted to prioritize existing relationships, the governor said in a press briefing on December 16.

"We have instead partnered with all the pharmacies in West Virginia," Gov. Jim Justice said in December. "We felt like that, from a state perspective, would be limiting our ability to rapidly distribute and administer the vaccine to the population in need if we had gone with the federal program."

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Hospitals thought they'd see Covid-19 vaccine shortages. Sometimes, they have to throw away doses - CNN

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown proposes universal COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan in frustration of low vaccination numbers  KGO-TV

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Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown proposes universal COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan in frustration of low vaccination numbers - KGO-TV

Its a miracle of modern medicine that scientists were able to develop multiple successful vaccines against Covid-19, a disease that wasnt even on their radar a year ago. But so far, the global effort to roll out these vaccines and distribute them to vulnerable people is off to a slow start.

According to a tracker developed byOurWorldInDataa research partnership between the University of Oxford and the British non-profit Global Change Data Labthree countries have vaccinated a higher proportion of their populations than the rest of the world: Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain.

These Middle Eastern states have administered the jabs to 20.93%, 10.99%, and 5.25% of their populations, respectively, while the US, Denmark, and UK trail further behind at 2.02%, 1.98%, and 1.94%. The rest of the world hovers around 0.5%. (These are based on population estimates from the United Nations World Population Prospects, so other trackers, such as Bloombergs, may show slightly different proportions.)

Whats their secret?

First, Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain are small countries with populations of between 1.5 and 9.3 million people. For Israel and parts of the UAE, which are using the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, thats a logistical boon: Since the vaccine doses need to be stored at -70 to -80 degrees Celsius, short distances are key to preventing spoilage during transit. (Abu Dhabi and Bahrain are using the vaccine developed by Chinas Sinopharm.)

The countries universal healthcare systems are also helping get people vaccinated quickly, says Tinglong Dai, an associate professor of operations management at Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, because it makes it easier to match [vaccine] supply and the demand. Healthcare data are centralized and digitized effectively, so citizens can either access an app or call a hotline and receive an immediate appointment for a jab if they are eligible.

In Israel, every citizen has to be part of one of four major health insurance funds, called HMOs. These funds are incentivized to compete with one another for patients in order to obtain more funding from the government. And Israelis can switch their HMO memberships every six months if theyre not satisfied, so the funds have every incentive to have their members get vaccines as soon as possible, Dai explains.

Medical authorities in the three countriesapproved the jabs early. Bahrain was the second country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, and it approved the Sinopharm vaccine in November. Israel was the third to approve Modernas jab on Jan. 5 and it has secured 6 million doses of it already. It certainly helps that the three countries can afford it.

Israel began to trial the transportation and delivery of the vaccine on Dec. 9 and launched its vaccine rollout on Dec. 19, more than a week before the European Union. It hasnt said how much it paid for doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, but health minister Yuli Edelstein told The New York Times that even if his country overpaid, it will have been worth it to reopen the Israeli economy early.

A key factor of the success of any vaccination rollout is the populations attitude towards it. In France, for example, vaccine skepticism, fueled bydisinformation, is seriously impeding the countrys efforts to vaccinate people. In a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation in the US, 29% of respondents who work in a healthcare delivery setting said they probably or definitely wouldnt get the vaccine.

Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain have invested resources in reassuring the public that the vaccine is safe and effective. That starts at the top: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first Israeli to receive the shot, and he did so on live television, while the king of Bahrain also received the jab early on.

Health authorities in the countries liaised with religious leaders to make sure their communities turned up to get their jabs. For example, the UAEs Fatwa Council issued an Islamic ruling in favor of the vaccine and its chairman, Abdullah bin Bayyah, was vaccinated in public. Israeli health officials consulted with ultra-Orthodox media and community leaders, although there is still a lack of trust among Muslim Arab and Christian minorities there.

Yoel Hareven is international and resource development director at Sheba Medical Center, the largest healthcare center in Israel and a major vaccination hub. He argues that the mood in Israel right now is evocative of wartime. Everyone in Israel understands that this is a crisis, he told Quartz. And because we know how to act in crisis time, everyone is gathering, and unifying to fight Covid-19.

At Sheba, Hareven is part of a team that collects lessons learned from Israels vaccination drive. He highlights a few:

But Dai argues that while theres lessons to be learned from the early successes of Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, countries who are frontrunners now shouldnt rest on their laurels. Two months from now, the focus will shift to [vaccinating] the general population, and thats where were going to see even more challenges, he explains. So its not clear who is a leader yet.

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The countries with the most effective Covid-19 vaccine rollouts - Quartz

Experts recommend everyone get a vaccine to boost whatever immunity they might already have from a previous infection.

WASHINGTON Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine if Ive had the virus?

Yes. Regardless of the previous infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionsays people should plan on getting vaccinated when it's their turn.

Its a pretty straightforward question, said Johns Hopkins infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja. Yes, you need to get vaccinated.

After someone recovers, their immune system should keep them from getting sick again right away.

Your immune system is able to identify the virus, and protect itself, said Dr. Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease expert at George Mason University.

Scientists still dont know exactly how long this immunity lasts or how strong it is, though recent research suggests the protection could last for several months.

Its impossible to know how long a person might be immune, said Dr. Prathit Kulkarni, an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine. Theres no way to calculate that.

Vaccines, by contrast, are designed to bring about a more consistent and optimal immune response. And they should boost whatever preexisting immunity a person might have from an infection, experts say.

Since were in this pandemic, and dont have a handle on it, the safer approach is to vaccinate, Kulkarni said. You dont lose anything and you stand to benefit.

If youve been infected in the last three months, the CDC says it's OK to delay vaccination if you want to let others go first while supplies are limited.

All things being equal you would want the person with no protection to go first, Adalja said.

For most people, the new coronaviruscauses mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

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Should I get a COVID-19 vaccine if I've had the virus? - WBIR.com

Moderna's coronavirus vaccine will provide immunity from the disease for at least one year, the biotech company said Monday per Reuters.

Why it matters: Moderna's vaccine is one of two now authorized for emergency use in the U.S., as coronavirus cases surge past 22.5 million nationally and 90.8 million globally.

The big picture: Moderna expects to deliver around 600 million to 1 billion doses in 2021.

Yes, but: The World Health Organization cautioned on Monday that herd immunity is unlikely this year despite the vaccine rollout in countries around the world.

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Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine expected to provide immunity for 1 year - Axios

HONOLULU (KHON2) A bigger rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine could begin for kupuna as soon as next week. Lieutenant Governor Josh Green says based on capacity, officials will start doing mass vaccinations beginning next Monday. Green says it looks like Hawaii Pacific Heath is ready to start at Pier 2 hopefully next week. The Queens Medical Center will be vaccinating kupuna at the Blaisdell Center starting on the Jan. 25.

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This way we will have tens of thousands of people go through it, maybe as many as 5,000 a day once we are reaching our peak in each site. And that means we can get through the 109,000 kupuna who are 75 and older quite quickly, said Lt. Gov. Green.

Queens says the state will have a website where people can sign up as soon as Friday. Appointments are needed in order to be vaccinated.

Well have employees set up to help you get your paperwork done on the front end and then walk you through, get you vaccinated and then well have the 15 to 30 minute period that we want to observe you and make sure that youre healthy, said Jason Chang, President of the Queens Medical Center.

Adventist Health Castle on Oahus windward side and Maui Health are also offering kupuna who are 75 and older the COVID-19 vaccine. Wilcox Medical Center, which is located on Kauai, recently announced it will begin administering the vaccine to kupuna in that age group starting this Friday.

So (for) neighbor islands at Molokai General Hospital, we will have the general vaccination clinic which will be at the hospital and North Hawaii Community Hospital has expanded its clinic and will be offering its Phase 1B, actually, theyre starting this week, Chang said.

When people go in to get their first dose, they will also be scheduled for an appointment to get their second shot.

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Mass COVID-19 vaccinations for Phase 1B expected to start next Monday - KHON2

Older adults and first responders wait in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine late last month at the Lakes Regional Library in Fort Myers, Fla. Octavio Jones/Getty Images hide caption

Older adults and first responders wait in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine late last month at the Lakes Regional Library in Fort Myers, Fla.

Only a vaccine will save America from the COVID -19 pandemic. At least that's the opinion of nearly all public health officials.

Obviously, vaccine manufacturers are critical to any vaccine campaign. But there's another group that plays a less obvious but still crucial role in making sure vaccines do what they're intended: mathematicians.

Even if the Biden administration releases all available doses of the two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, for a while at least, supplies will remain limited. How best to use that limited supply is a question mathematicians can help answer.

"Mathematical models are very, very useful to guide policy," says Laura Matrajt, a builder of mathematical models at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. They can help with decisions about who gets the vaccine first when supplies are limited.

"There are a few factors that really shift how the prioritization would go in a strong way," says Daniel Larremore, a computer scientist at the University of Colorado BioFrontiers Institute. "One of those is how much is the virus spreading as the vaccine is being rolled out? And another factor is. How fast is the vaccine being rolled out?"

It's also important to know how effective a vaccine is at preventing disease, how long protection lasts, and whether it not only prevents someone from getting sick but also from transmitting COVID-19. Unfortunately, only the efficacy of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is known, not the other two variables.

Even in the face of missing information, modelers can provide some guidance. Larremore says to end a pandemic, it generally makes sense to vaccinate those most capable of spreading disease.

"However," he says, "if the vaccine is rolled out slowly, which is currently the case, and if community transmission is high, which is also currently the case, then it becomes better to prioritize adults over 60 to minimize mortality."

This is close to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently recommending, although the CDC guidelines also call for vaccinating people likely to be exposed to the virus, such as front-line health care workers.

But even if a mathematical model suggests the most effective path, it doesn't provide all the answers public health officials need.

"You still have to make some difficult value decisions," says Mark Jit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "Like how many lives in older people are you going to save, how many lives in younger people are you going to save, how many lives in different people, richer, poorer people. So there are some tricky value decisions, but those are inherent in the fact that we have limited supplies of the vaccine, so we have to make hard decisions about who to give it to first."

Right now, modelers are trying to help public health officials decide if it makes sense to use a single dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine to extend the limited supply, even though the vaccine has only really been tested using a two-dose regimen.

Matrajt of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has a model that allows her to test various "what if scenarios."

"If the first dose is highly efficacious, and we have stringent social distancing interventions in place, then vaccinating with a single dose is optimal," Matrajt says, but the strategy only works if a single dose is efficacious.

"We should do whatever it takes to know what the efficacy of a single dose is," she says.

What's clear from all the models is that rolling out the vaccine as quickly as possible is essential.

"If you don't roll out the vaccine fast enough, the effect of the vaccine will be very, very limited," Matrajt says.

Gerardo Chowell, a mathematical epidemiologist at Georgia State University, puts it even more bluntly. "Delays in vaccination, delays in testing, are costing us lives."

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Best COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies, According To Mathematicians : Shots - Health News - NPR

Press Releases

01/11/2021

(HARTFORD, CT) Governor Ned Lamont and other state officials today are warning Connecticut residents that as the COVID-19 vaccine continues to become available to more people, they should be aware of potential scams related to the vaccine and be on the lookout for certain warning signs that can help them avoid being scammed.

Residents are reminded that:

If anyone becomes aware of a vaccine-related scam or believes they may be the victim of a scam, they should file a complaint with state and local authorities:

This is a crucial time for Connecticuts response efforts and I am happy that we are among the states leading the nation in our vaccination efforts, Governor Lamont said. But I know where there is success, scams can follow, and we cant let bad actors interfere with our efforts to ensure our residents are healthy, and we bounce back from this pandemic strong. I encourage anyone who see suspicious behavior or signs of a scam to report it.

As Connecticut continues to serve as a model for states across the nation for its vaccination efforts, its critical that we dont let bad actors disrupt our monumental progress, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. Its important for our residents to help us be our watchdogs by reporting suspicious behavior, such as individuals asking for your Social Security number or bank account information, or promising early access to the vaccine.

Getting vaccinated is one of the most important things we can do to stop COVID-19, Attorney General William Tong said. Scammers are out there looking to profit off our anticipation and anxiety. There is no miracle cure, and you cannot pay to jump the line. Make sure you are getting information directly from reputable sources, including your employer, your medical provider or the states ct.gov/covidvaccine site.

Getting vaccinated is an important step in stopping the spread of COVID-19, Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said. Unfortunately, scammers often follow the news cycle and may try to take advantage of people in a high stress time. So, the Department of Consumer Protection is reminding the public to be vigilant and to take steps to protect themselves from both scams and COVID-19.

To protect yourself and your family it is important to remain aware of the signs of a scam, Connecticut Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James C. Rovella said. If you believe you have fallen victim to a scam, notify state and local law enforcement and local public health officials as soon as possible.

For the most up-to-date information about where, when, and how to receive the vaccine in Connecticut, visit the states website at ct.gov/covidvaccine.

General information about the vaccine is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19.

The 2-1-1 information hotline is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions.

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Governor Lamont Warns Connecticut Residents To Be Aware of COVID-19 Vaccination Scams and Report Suspicious Behavior - CT.gov

Colorado lawmakers will have access to a COVID-19 vaccine for the 2021 lawmaking term that begins Wednesday, likely moving them ahead of hundreds of thousands of others in the states second inoculation phase.

House Speaker Alec Garnett, D-Denver, confirmed that members of the General Assembly are being prioritized. Legislators are expected to receive two doses of a vaccine by Feb. 16, when the lawmaking term is expected to begin in earnest, about two weeks before when the state is hoping to have vaccinated a majority of Coloradans who are 70 and older.

I dont think we are jumping the line, Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat, said Monday. By no means are we taking vaccines taking away from others that absolutely need it more than us. But I think its important for the continuity of our state government that the legislature is able to meet as the constitution requires.

The latest from the coronavirus outbreak in Colorado:

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Not all support the plan. Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, said he will refuse to get the vaccine ahead of others. Instead, he will wait for when he would have received the inoculation if he werent a lawmaker.

Im not going to cut in line in front of other people who are more at risk, the 61-year-old said.

In late December, Gov. Jared Polis shuffled Colorados vaccine distribution plan to move state legislators and other essential government workers into Phase 1b, putting them behind front-line health care workers who interact with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis, as well as nursing home residents and staff.

The second phase now also includes Coloradans older than 70, teachers, health care workers with less direct contact with coronavirus patients, first responders, essential workers and some journalists. But state health officials have recommended that people over 70, first responders and health care workers get vaccinated before others in the 1b group. More than 1.3 million people, or nearly a quarter of the states population, are part of this phase.

MORE: Colorado reshuffles its coronavirus vaccination plan, moves essential workers and people 70 and older up in line

There are 100 legislators. There are a whole lot of people in Colorado that are over 70, so I think its just simply its going to take a while to get through that population, Fenberg said.

Colorado lawmakers plan to start the session this week but only meet for three days to handle a handful of bills before taking a prolonged recess to Feb. 16 when the bulk of the lawmaking is expected to resume. The hope is that coronavirus cases in Colorado will have decreased by then. The decision to take the recess was made before lawmakers were moved up in line to receive the vaccine.

Rep. Daneya Esgar, the House majority leader, said the schedule is based on advice from public health officials who are worried about rising case counts from New Years Eve celebrations and the holidays. It was to give us that space and time to make sure our COVID numbers go down, said Esgar, D-Pueblo.

House Republican leader Hugh McKean said he contacted his doctor to ask whether he should get the vaccine ahead of the session, given the potential for exposure in the Capitol. If its necessary, McKean said he would rather the people who need it more than me take it.

My advice to my members has been that they need to consult with their physician and determine what their risk level is, the Loveland lawmaker said Monday. And if they want to take advantage of the vaccine or not, its really up to them.

Sage Naumann, a spokesman for Republicans in the Colorado Senate, said the caucus was not consulted about making the vaccine available to lawmakers.

The decision to be offered the vaccine was not our caucus choice, nor were we asked of our opinion before the decision was made, he said in a written statement. Our members have been encouraged to speak to their doctors and come to their own, private medical decision.

The vaccine also is being offered early to credentialed journalists who regularly cover the Colorado legislature, including two Colorado Sun reporters.

Even if Colorado lawmakers are vaccinated this week, they likely wont be able to fully benefit from the vaccine when they return Feb. 16.

Thats because the vaccines must be given in two doses several weeks apart. For the Pfizer vaccine, there is supposed to be a 21-day break between when someone receives their first and second doses. For the Moderna vaccine, 28 days is recommended between the two doses.

After the two doses are administered, it then takes several more weeks for the full power of the vaccine to kick in.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity (protection against the virus that causes COVID-19) after vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website. That means its possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and still get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

Fenberg said the session schedule is flexible, but Democratic leadership is unlikely to delay lawmaking even further to allow more time for lawmakers to build immunity against COVID-19. This is about mitigating risk, he said. Its not about eliminating risk.

Even with the vaccine rollout, Fenberg added that there will continue to be public health protocols in place for the sessions start, including rapid testing, social-distancing and mask-wearing requirements at the Capitol. The requirements are expected to persist to help protect members of the public and staff in the building even after lawmakers are vaccinated.

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Colorado lawmakers will get access to COVID-19 vaccine ahead of thousands of others in second phase - The Colorado Sun