Colorado Teachers Among Those Eligible To Get COVID Vaccine Next Month

DENVER (CBS4) — Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday that more people will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine next month. Polis said the state is able to better plan distribution and offer the vaccine to more people sooner due to the Biden administration's certainty about supply.

Educators and people 65 and older will be eligible to get the vaccine starting on Feb. 8.

"I do think it makes educators and those working with our students across Colorado feel appreciated, feel valued and feel heard. Our educators have been speaking up for months now saying we need to be prioritized in the vaccine," said Amie Baca-Oehlert, President of the Colorado Education Association.

The announcement came Friday as the state updated its distribution plan to include these groups in "Phase 1B 2." State officials say there are 408,000 people in this group.

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Officials hope to vaccinate every adult who is in a classroom with children within three weeks. Preschool through 12th grade teachers, childcare providers, bus drivers, safety workers and paraprofessionals will be eligible to receive the vaccine.

Baca-Oehlert says this is a huge relief for educators who weren't able to return because of the risk to their health.

"It really does bring a peace of mind and just another layer of comfort. We wanted to get those vaccines as soon as possible for educators, so that we can prioritize in-person learning and try to avoid as many disruptions to in-person learning as possible," said Baca-Oehlert.

Polis says those eligible to receive the vaccine will sign up through their employer. Denver Public Schools has formed a relationship with Children's Hospital and Aurora Public Schools are working with Kaiser Permanente.

The state will set aside about a third of its vaccine supply for this group.