GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. — Garfield County’s health care network easily has the capacity to administer twice as many COVID-19 vaccinations than it has given so far, Garfield County Public Health Director Yvonne Long said Monday.
The problem, she said, is that the county has only received about half the doses requested from the state of Colorado, which in turn relies on vaccine distribution at the federal level.
“That continues to be a struggle and a challenge for all of us, at the state and federal level, which then comes down to the local level,” Long said during a vaccine update to county commissioners Monday morning.
Long addressed concerns expressed by many residents of the county that the vaccine rollout locally has been slow.
Many of those now eligible to receive the vaccine, including people age 70 and older, have been put on long wait lists or not even wait-listed at all until more vaccines are available.
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