Colorado surpasses 75% first-dose vaccination rate for adults
Three-quarters of Colorado adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the state announced Tuesday morning.
Of the eligible population — those 12 and older — 73% have been inoculated with at least one dose. More than 3.3 million Coloradans are fully vaccinated, the state Department of Public Health and Environment said in a news release.
“While we are definitely moving in the right direction when it comes to vaccines, we aren’t going to let up until every Coloradan who may want a vaccine gets one,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the executive director of the public health department. “Now is the time. Vaccines are free, and no insurance, ID, or appointment are required to get vaccinated.”
Since coronavirus hit Colorado in early 2020, it has killed more than 7,400 residents, state statistics show.
When vaccines became widely available in early 2021, long lines of residents waited for shots. The number of vaccines distributed each day fell consistently between April and July. The state attributed that trend to a dwindling pool of willing recipients.
But between early July and August, as the delta variant of the virus hit and the state ramped up incentive programs including giveaways, more people were inoculated, officials said.
Now, Colorado has more than 1,600 authorized vaccine distributors and number of vaccinated residents is rising.
Similar trends have been documented elsewhere in the nation, though Colorado’s vaccination rate heading into this latest wave was higher than many other states’ levels.




