The upcoming availability of the vaccine creates challenges for our rural county, especially now. The state plan for vaccine distribution provides basic general guidance about the priority categories in who is served at http://www.co.grand.co.us/1328/Most-Recent-Update. Presently, Grand County has reported more than 500 cases with 19 hospitalizations and 5 deaths.

The resignation of the director of Grand County Public Health, a public health nurse, leaves development of a vaccination system supervised by the Grand County Board of Health, which is the board of county commissioners.

In the absence of public health expertise, will the Grand County Board of Health adhere to those state and national priorities? These priorities include continued preventive mask use. We hope that the commissioners will support Abbie Baker, the acting public health director, in moving forward with distribution and administration of vaccines. Having been in our health department for several years, she understands tracking epidemics and the procedures for response.

Please note the emphasis here is on administering the vaccine. So much publicity uses “distribution” as if the vaccine were a letter or card. Having actual designated times where people sign up, stand in line, roll up their sleeves and have a qualified professional give the injection is part of “administering” the vaccine. Which commissioner will set the example? Health and economic wellbeing depend on safe, reliable distribution of information, repeated timing and administering vaccines, and ultimately getting the vaccine into people’s arms (twice!) here in Grand County.

— Sharry Erzinger, Fraser