Here's The COVID-19 Vaccine Wait Time In El Paso County

EL PASO COUNTY, CO — With the United Kingdom approving a COVID-19 vaccine for use this week and the Garden State preparing for a rollout as soon as mid-December, the New York Times, the Surgo Foundation and Ariadne Labs have come up with a way to calculate the number of people who will need a vaccine in each state and county — and where El Paso County residents might fit in that line.

For example, an average 40-year-old El Paso County resident with no professional or health-related special circumstances would be in line behind 268.7 million people across the United States, according to the study.

In Colorado, the projection would be behind 4.2 million others who are at higher risk, in a state with a population of around 5.7 million. In El Paso County, 535,500 would be ahead of you in a county with approximately 720,403 residents.

But those caveats make a difference.

The same person with higher risk health conditions have a ticket around 353,300 in Colorado and 41,000 in El Paso County. A healthy first responder would be at 317,200 on the line on the state level and 38,500 in El Paso County.

You can input your specific information on the Times website.

Vaccine Rollout

No matter what place in line you end up in, Colorado has been preparing to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine for months.

Our state placed its first order Thursday for 46,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, public health officials confirmed.

The order was placed in anticipation of the Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorization, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"Regular vaccine allocation from the federal government will be based on the size of Colorado's total population and the quantity of ready-to-ship doses from the manufacturer," the state said in a news release Friday.

"Colorado makes up 1.69% of the U.S. population, so we expect 1.69% of the available vaccine."

"The availability of a COVID-19 vaccine is a major turning point in this pandemic, and we will act as swiftly as possible to get it distributed once it is approved," said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"We are working closely with local public health agencies, hospitals and other health care providers, pharmacies, and diverse community partners to distribute and administer the vaccine as equitably and efficiently as possible.

"Because of limited quantities, it will take several months to get the vaccine to everyone who wants it — so we need Coloradans to continue to take all possible measures to prevent the spread of the virus."

Pfizer plans to ship the first vaccine allocations to states within 24 hours of the FDA issuing an Emergency Use Authorization, officials said.

"Colorado will begin administering the vaccine shortly after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices makes its recommendations for vaccine use," the state's news release read.

"The state will share when the vaccine arrives in Colorado."

Due to safety and security precautions, the ultra cold storage locations of the vaccine will be kept confidential, officials said.

Patch Editor Russ Crespolini contributed to this report.