Every Colorado adult is eligible — and urged — to get a COVID-19 booster shot with the disease spreading rampantly across the state, health officials say.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has instructed vaccine providers not to turn away anyone over 18 years old who wants a booster shot as long as it has been at least six months since their last dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Coloradans can get a booster shot as long as it has been two months since their last shot.
Dr. Eric France, CDPHE’s chief medical officer, said Tuesday that the recommendation is in line with federal guidance.
One of the criteria the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified in booster-shot eligibility is for people who live or work in high-risk settings.
This was generally thought to be places like congregate care facilities. But France said CDC officials agreed with him that the entire state of Colorado, during the current COVID surge, should be considered a high-risk setting.
“From my perspective, the state of Colorado is an institution,” France said. “And inside that institution is a very high exposure rate to COVID. So I recommend that anyone 18 and over who is due for the booster should go get it. And I believe that is still within the realm of the CDC recommendations.”
An estimated one out of every 48 Coloradans is actively infected with COVID-19, according to CDPHE.
About 1,400 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon, the highest number since December 2020. According to CDPHE data, 79% of those are unvaccinated.
The state’s intensive care units are about 95% full, with the number of available ICU beds statewide hovering at or below 100.