Students between 12-17 years of age in Yuma now can get a COVID-19 vaccine without having to leave town, or wait for the mobile clinic to show up periodically.
That is because Yuma District Hospital & Clinics now has the Pfizer vaccine. It made the announcement last week.
One can call 848-4712 to make an appointment.
The Pfizer vaccine now has full approval by the Federal Drug Administration for those 16 and older, and still is under Emergency Use Authorization for ages 12-15.
YDHC has been supplied with the Moderna vaccine since the shots became available last December. However, the Moderna shot still has not received even emergency authorization for those 18 and younger.
Therefore, this is the first time a COVID-19 vaccine for local residents under the age of 18 has been available at YDHC.
The facility is offering regular vaccine clinics on September 10, September 15, September 23, and September 30. Call 848-4712 for an appointment.
RN Julie Rus, who is involved with the district’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts, explained the Pfizer vaccine is available now because it can now be stored in a medical-grade freezer with usual vaccine temperatures for up to two weeks. Also, YDHC can now order in small quantities — instead of the previously-required 700 doses.
“That way we can make a list of patients that want the Pfizer and order what we need,” she said in an email. “This allows YDH to be able to now vaccinate those that prefer Pfizer and also, the 12-17 age group.”
Hospital district personnel report that response to the Pfizer shot has been low to date, but expect more requests as more become aware of its availability in Yuma.
COVID’s “Delta” variant has resulted in even those who are vaccinated being vulnerable to catching the virus and spreading it, though symptoms usually are mild or asymptomatic. The vast majority of those hospitalized by COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
Yuma County remains in the lower tier of Colorado counties in regards to vaccination rates. The county was at 48 percent of the population eligible to be immunized with one or more doses, according to the September 1 update at Colorado’s vaccine data dashboard (covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine-data-dashboard).
Neighboring Washington County remains the lowest-vaccinated in Colorado at 33 percent, and neighboring Kit Carson County is fourth-lowest at 40.6 percent. Nearby Logan County is the fifth lowest at 41.3 percent.
In the region, Yuma County remains behind Sedgwick County, which is at 52.1 percent, Morgan County at 52.1 percent and Phillips County at 56.9 percent.
As for cases, they steadily continue to tick up in the region, though still at a relatively-low rate compared to earlier this year and late last year, though significantly higher than when school resumed in August 2020.
The Northeast Colorado Health Department reported 120 new cases over the previous seven days, as of its September 2 update at nchd.org, 212 cases over 14 days, and 356 over 30 days, an increase of 295 compared to the previous 30 days. There were only 49 new cases in the six-county region from late June to late July. There have been 31 hospitalizations over 30 days (an increase of 25), including one death, that of a Yuma County resident.
Yuma County had zero new cases the last week of June, and saw estimated active cases drop into the single digits for the first time since late last summer.
The county has had 37 new cases over the past 30 days, as of September 2, including 14 over the past seven days. Estimated active cases were at 28 as of the September 2 update.
There were 225 new tests over seven days (a significant drop of 111 from the previous seven days), with the test positivity increasing to 8 percent. There is one hospitalization.
Sedgwick County had an increase in new case over the past month, but that is now on a downturn as active cases dropped by nine to 13 from last week. Washington County, despite having the lowest vaccination rate in Colorado, had only eight active cases, though that is a slight increase.
Morgan County, despite having the second-best vaccination rate in the six-county region, had 146 new cases over 30 days, an increase of 120, and 110 estimated active cases, with a rising test positivity of 5.5 percent.
Logan County, with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, saw an increase of 117 cases over 30 days, an increase of 103, including 31 over seven days with a test positivity rate of only 2 percent over the last seven days, and that is while the county has seen a big increase in new testing. It is at a total of 78 estimated active cases, with five hospitalizations over the past seven days, as of September 2.
Phillips County has a 19.7-percent positivity rate over seven days, with eight new cases, including one hospitalization, and a jump in estimated active cases to 17.
