Vaccine Rollout: How Colorado Compares With Other States

Colorado is behind 11 other states in a vaccine rollout analysis by The New York Times. Around 6.2 percent of Coloradans have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose.

As of Sunday, Alaska was ranked No. 1 — around 10.7 percent of the state's population had received their first dose. The state was followed by West Virginia (9.1 percent), New Mexico (7.8 percent) and Connecticut (7.7 percent).

Colorado has only used 63 percent of doses that have been shipped to our state, according to the report. Many states are even lower — here's a look at how many doses have made it into arms in neighboring states:

• Arizona: 47 percent
• Wyoming: 58 percent
• Utah: 59 percent

Our southern neighbor New Mexico, however, had a vaccination rate of 78 percent.

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines each require two doses, three or four weeks apart. Gov. Jared Polis on Jan. 18 ordered vaccine providers to stop withholding second doses, and give them to thousands of people ages 70 and older.

A day prior, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he thinks the U.S. is only a few weeks away from seeing approval of coronavirus vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

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Changing state policies and unpredictable federal vaccine distribution amounts have left many county public health officials scrambling to administer vaccines.

A guest column published Tuesday by two of Boulder County's top public health officials outlines the difficulties they face.

"While each vaccine provider (Public Health, hospitals, clinics) orders the doses they need each week from the state, how much and when they receive them changes from week to week. Not surprisingly, this can make it difficult for our partners to plan ahead," the column reads, in part.

"Second, the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna require special handling. The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at -94 Fahrenheit, requiring special ultracold freezers – something most healthcare providers don't have. Each must be thawed just before use, but not too soon before use.

"And once thawed and punctured, each dose must be used within hours. Further, both vaccines require a second dose be provided by the same provider as the first. While a two-dose vaccine is not uncommon, it adds another layer of complexity to the logistics."

Colorado is expected to ramp up its vaccine administration significantly over the next few weeks. The state's goal is to have 70 percent of people ages 70 and older inoculated by the end of February.