Colorado's Vaccine Distribution Timeline Revealed

Colorado is preparing to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in three phases over the next nine months, public health officials announced Wednesday.

Our state has placed an initial order for 46,800 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations, which are expected to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration between Friday and Monday, officials said. Colorado is expected to receive the order between Dec. 13 and Dec. 16.

A second shipment — 95,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine — is expected by Dec. 23, officials said.

In a news conference Wednesday, Gov. Jared Polis explained how the vaccines will work.

"The first dose will be given and then 25 days later, you'll get a second dose of the vaccine and then two weeks later, you're immune," Polis said.

Vaccinations will be distributed in three phases:

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Colorado. Sign up for free Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

All vaccinations will be free, officials said. In the first phase, the vaccines will only be given at hospitals, health care centers and public health agencies. Then pharmacies, doctor's offices and other important facilities will receive the vaccines as they become available.

Polis urged Coloradans to continue following COVID-19 guidelines as the vaccines are distributed.

"Let's double down in the next few weeks and months — wear a mask around others," Polis said.

"It's a 50 percent effective vaccine that we have today — it reduces your chances by half of getting the virus."

The Colorado Unified Coordination Center completed an exercise this week to test its ability to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine from the Denver International Airport to a distribution facility, officials said.

In the 4-hour exercise, the vaccine arrived at the airport and it was loaded onto a secure vehicle and driven to Vail Health, which is one of eight distribution centers across the state. The training also allowed agencies to train for the hand-to-hand transportation of the vaccine, and for problematic scenarios, such as disruptions to transportation routes, officials said.