Updated on April 15 at 10:18 a.m.
A new federal community vaccination site opened April 14 in Pueblo County, a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). It is slated to be an eight-week pilot effort.
The site, located at the Colorado State Fairgrounds, was previously a COVID-19 testing location. In mid-March, it transitioned to a drive-through vaccine clinic run by both the state and Centura Health, one of six community vaccination sites across Colorado operated by the state.
FEMA is also planning to launch mobile vaccination clinics to help reach rural counties in Southern Colorado, including Alamosa, Las Animas and Saguache. The two efforts together mean vaccination capacity will nearly double from around 1,750 a day to 3,000 a day.
Micki Trost, a spokesperson for DHSEM, said the office and FEMA are coordinating with statewide and county public health agencies to provide a broad base of vaccine access across the southern part of the state. Trost also said FEMA will supply the sites with federal allocations of coronavirus vaccines, which will be separate from the state's allocation.
The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment has launched mobile clinics at senior apartment complexes in the past few weeks, in addition to mobile vaccination clinics at workplaces like steel mill Evraz.
The state also launched two mobile vaccination clinics last week, with two more expected this week. The coronavirus vaccine buses will have routes across the Northeast and Southeast parts of the state.
The pilot site at the Colorado State Fairgrounds launched on April 14 and will be open seven days a week. All adults are eligible to use the Pueblo Transit shuttle at no cost to and from the COVID-19 vaccination site at the State Fairgrounds and the downtown transit center at 123 Court Street. The shuttle will operate Monday through Saturday, with the first bus leaving the transit center at 8 a.m. and the last bus leaving the transit center at 5:30 p.m.
Individuals requiring ADA mobility assistance can contact Citi-Lift at (719) 546-2484 to schedule a ride to and from the vaccination site and their home. Citi-Lift rides must be scheduled 24-hours in advance.
Vaccination appointments can be scheduled through Centura Health.
