Gov. Jared Polis has signed an executive order allowing all adults in Colorado to get COVID-19 vaccine booster shots regardless of their age or occupation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had limited booster eligibility to adults over the age of 65, adults with underlying medical conditions or who live in long-term care facilities, and those whose jobs or occupational setting put them at high risk of contracting the disease.
Polis is expanding that eligibility by declaring the entire state of Colorado at high risk for the disease.
He hopes giving out more booster shots will keep more people out of hospitals, which public health officials fear could run out of beds by the end of December.
Coloradans who got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can get boosters six months after their second doses. Johnson & Johnson recipients can get one two months after the single dose.
Polis’ executive order says no vaccine provider can turn away someone 18 or older if enough time has passed since their initial dose.
“We want to ensure that Coloradans have every tool they need to protect themselves from this deadly virus and to help reduce the stress on our hospitals and health care workers,” Polis said in a written statement.
More than 1,490 Coloradans were in the hospital with COVID-19 as of Wednesday. The state health department estimated earlier this week that as many as one in 48 residents was currently infected by the disease.
Learn more about how to get a booster shot in Northern Colorado here.
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