COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need To Know this public health crisis that has caused so much loss, pain and disruption around the world. Now that the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been granted Emergency Use Authorization status by the FDA, health care providers have started vaccinating Coloradans according to the tiered plan set forth by state health officials. Kaiser Permanente is an approved vaccine provider in Colorado, which means our medical offices are designated vaccine administration sites. We are offering vaccines at select Kaiser Permanente medical offices across the Front Range. We received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in mid-December and are pleased to be well underway in vaccinating patient-facing health care workers, first responders and those 70 and older, following state guidelines. We are maximizing use of the capabilities of our electronic medical record and informing our members as we proceed through the vaccination tiers. Persons who are not insured with Kaiser Permanente and fall into the current vaccination tier are welcome to be vaccinated with us, as well, and may go to kp.org or call us for further information. Kaiser Permanente has always focused on supporting the health of our communities. This nation-wide effort falls right in line with our skills and expertise. We have more than 600,000 members in Colorado—their health and well-being as well as the health of our communities is our priority. We excel in preventive care. Kaiser Permanente has decades of experience promoting health through vaccination and delivering vaccinations safely and efficiently. The COVID-19 vaccine initiative is a massive undertaking across the nation. We are honored to partner with our public health colleagues in this endeavor. Kaiser Permanente will continue to educate our members, workforce, customers and communities about the safety, effectiveness and importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and to share information about how a vaccine— coupled with continued public-health measures like the wearing of masks, physical distancing and frequent hand washing—can help control and ultimately conclude the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines in development. The scientific community across the nation has clearly expressed a commitment to assuring that any vaccine released will meet safety and efficacy standards supporting their use. After nearly a year of experiencing the profound and detrimental impacts of COVID-19 in our communities and businesses, the availability of safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines offers the opportunity for us to protect ourselves and our loved ones from a serious infection and keep our communities thriving. We encourage everyone to do their part to stop the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay safe, Colorado! WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS WARY ABOUT RECEIVING THE VACCINATION? I would try first to better understand why they are reluctant. Sometimes hesitation can be overcome by clearing up common misconceptions. And I share with my patients my confidence in the vaccine-development process and my own willingness and interest in getting myself and my children vaccinated. In medicine, risks and benefits must always be considered. The same holds for vaccines. Like most recommended vaccines, the ones for COVID-19 can produce side effects. Some people who participated in clinical trials studying these vaccines reported fevers, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and soreness around injection sites. These minor symptoms are a sign that the body is responding to the vaccine as expected and building immunity and, in most cases, are mild and fully resolved within two days. The safety and efficacy data has been carefully reviewed for the approved vaccines by the FDA, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, independent medical societies and our national team at Kaiser Permanente, and the same process of review and approval will follow for each subsequently available vaccine. Our infectious diseases physicians, including myself, have been tracking the available evidence for the ONLINE SIGN-UP FOR COVID-19 VACCINES Kaiser Permanente has launched an online COVID-19 vaccine sign up, making it easy for any Coloradan to reserve a spot to receive their COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of current eligible phase. Kaiser Permanente is leveraging its electronic medical record to reach out to all Kaiser Permanente members in Colorado through text messages, emails, and letters encouraging sign ups. Those who are designated in Phase 1A, and Coloradans ages 70+ from 1B, are eligible now to receive the vaccine based on supply and should complete the sign-up process to have an appointment set up. Currently, Kaiser Permanente in Colorado is administering the vaccine at 13 locations along the Front Range. The organization has provided more than 11,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible Coloradans, including members, employees in long-term care facilities and those who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients, frontline health care workers from our community, among others. The state’s largest nonprofit health plan is ramping up capacity to deliver more than 20,000 vaccines each week and eventually 50,000 each week. Vaccine supply is provided by the State of Colorado and is currently limited. We are committed to providing as many doses as possible based on available supply. For the most up-to-date info, please visit kp.org/covidvaccine. 18 Business in Colorado Magazine 2021 Updated as of 1/13/2021
Business in Colorado 2021 Business in Colorado: Page 18
