Denver Emergency Operations Center Activated To Help Distribute COVID Vaccines

DENVER (CBS4)- As Colorado anticipates an increase in COVID vaccines form the federal government, Denver is preparing for how best to distribute their share of doses and it includes activating their Emergency Operations Center.

Loa Esquilin with Denver's Office of Emergency Management says the move will bring multiple departments together, typically under one roof.

"We have so many agencies that are doing great work amazing effort for this vaccination effort it is time to bring them all into once centralized point one point of coordination," she said.

With social distancing in mind, their efforts will all be done virtually this time around.

Still Esquilin says activating the EOC provides structure and can help improve their overall response to any event.

"We will bring offices like Social Equity and Innovation, obviously Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Emergency Management and Public Safety because all of them have a small component they can bring to the big component."

Public safety includes police and fire which she says can help during mass vaccination events. Many firefighters are already helping to administer vaccines.

Bob McDonald, executive director for Denver Department of Public Health, says working side-by-side with agencies like the Office of Social Equity and Innovation will ensure the community as a whole is being considered.

"That entire group will be embedded in that process so as the decisions are made, we are making them thoughtful with our most vulnerable in mind," he said.

Esquilin says while vaccines are still in short supply, they want to be ready the moment that changes.

"There is a lot of legwork that has bene done so when we do get the vaccine or the shipment from the state and federal government, we are able to hit the ground running," she said.