DENVER -- With the end of the month quickly approaching, many Coloradans who are 70 and older are wondering when they will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
Now that other groups like 65 and older and teachers are starting to schedule theirs, some people who have been waiting since January wonder if they’ll get left behind.
Michael Edsinga and his wife say they hardly remember what it’s like to gather with loved ones anymore.
"We haven’t been together with friends since last February and see, my daughter, she lives here but I see her once in a while in passing," said Edsinga.
Both Edsinga and his wife are 73 years old and have been trying to get their COVID-19 shot since January and have even signed up with several providers.
"Kaiser, Centura, Health One, SafeWay, King Soopers, Walgreens, Walmart," said Edsinga.
And since then, they’ve heard nothing back.
"It’s extremely frustrating because you don’t know whether you’re in the system or not and you’re constantly waiting and even though you’re checking back, it doesn’t really tell you whether you’re on their system or not," said Edsinga.
But his frustrations finally came to an end Tuesday when he logged on to Walgreen's and appointments were available.
"I thought I was going to pass out because I was so happy, you know, we finally got in there and got on the schedule and we have them for Thursday and Friday so we’re really happy about that," said Edsigna.
As we enter the second-half of February, the state’s goal is still to vaccinate at least 70% of people 70 or older by the end of the month.
"I really hope that especially with people 70 and up it’s 80% or 90%, and I’m sure you’ll find some 75-year-olds somewhere that, for whatever reason, wasn’t (sic) able to get it until the first week of March; but yes, generally speaking, if you’re 70 and up and you want the vaccine you’ll have the opportunity to get it by the end of February," said Governor Jared Polis during a news conference last week.
The state health department says right now, they’re at 83% of their goal of vaccinating at least 70% of the state’s most vulnerable population.
For Edsinga, the best thing people can do is keep checking for appointments constantly.
"That’s what we did and it just so happens that we got it today," said Edsinga.
At the rate this group is getting vaccinated, there’s hope everyone who wants a shot will be able to receive one.
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