1/4/21 Update

Vaccine

We have launched a vaccine interest form that is live on vaccine information page on our website. We are building this database so that we can efficiently and equitably administer the limited vaccine doses that we are receiving. 

While filling out this form will inform us of the number of people in each phase, it does not guarantee a vaccine in any timeframe. When your time comes in the phases, you will be notified to schedule an appointment.

Each person in your household or in your care should register. This includes children, should a time come for a vaccine for younger age groups. We ask that you tell your neighbors to sign up. If they don’t have the technology, can you help them? The more information we have, the more effective we can be in rolling out this vaccine quickly to end the pandemic.

Gunnison County is working hard to balance CDC, and state guidance on vaccine prioritization. The guidance has continually been a moving target. We have already covered the vast majority of healthcare workers with the exception of a few who have had scheduling or other conflicts. With that, we have begun to work on the upper portion of phase 1b in addition to the last of 1a. By the end of 2020, we have administered 936 first doses of vaccine, which equates to 5.4% of our population. We are far ahead of most of our peers.

As of 12/30/2020, the State of Colorado has updated their vaccine priorities to move forward anyone who is 70+ and the essential workforce (see state phase chart). The state also informed us that we cannot move to essential workforce without explicit permission from the state and we must start with the 70+ group. This contradicts the CDC’s guidance which recommends anyone 75+ and essential workforce. Based on CDC guidance, locally we had already begun with some of the essential workforce and 75+. Moving forward, we have adjusted and focus on the 70+ cohort. 

Another concern is around folks in the long-term care facilities who are in group 1a. Locally, we have vaccinated the majority of the workforce in these settings, but have not yet covered all of the residents. The federal government has worked out a deal with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate this group. We just got word from Walgreens today that they intend to be here tomorrow, 1/5, to administer the first doses of vaccine to our local long term care residents. 

Another Community Testing Event

We are working to schedule another community testing event. We will be at the Fred Field House in Gunnison from 7:00 AM-5:00 PM on Friday, January 15th. We will be at the Crested Butte Community School from 7:00 AM-5:00 PM on Saturday, January 16th. We encourage any and everyone to come get tested. This round will be a walk up testing site. We are encouraging everyone to get tested as this will give us a broader picture of the prevalence of the COVID-19 infection in our communities.  

Virtual Town Hall

Our next town hall will be at 4:00 PM on 1/7/2021. Sign up ahead of time here.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered, please email ideas to, pio@gunnisoncounty.org.

Update on Positives

Our numbers are at 823 positive, 8,739 negative, and 93 pending tests as of January 4th. 

Our positivity dropped down to just above 5% because of the community testing events. Now that the testing events are beyond the 14 day positivity average, our positivity is now climbing again.

We continue to see a number of positive results across the valley and age groups. Our case incidence rate is far higher than many other communities in Colorado. While our vaccination efforts are moving us towards a better place, we are not there yet. Continued efforts from the community will keep us open as we make our way towards the end of this pandemic.

Travel Quarantine Recommendation

We continue to recommend that anyone who travels out of the county for more than 24 hours to quarantine for 7 days upon their return to Gunnison County. We also recommend that visitors who come into the county isolate for 7 days prior to their arrival. 

State Exposure Notification App

The state’s new exposure notification app is now live. Info on how to set it up can be found here. Even a small uptake of the app in our community can positively impact our outcomes. While alone it won’t be a game changer, combined with our other tools- social distancing, masks, hand hygiene- we can continue to reduce the spread.

Testing Site

The main testing site is located at Gunnison Valley Health and is open Monday through Friday. Testing requires an appointment ahead of time. 

The testing site is located in the large north entrance parking lot and operates out of a shed. We ask that you please contact the Call Center in advance to schedule an appointment at 970-641-7660.

Call Center: 970-641-7660

The Call Center is open from 8 a.m.-12p.m. and 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Here is an infographic of the Call Center call tree.

For those needing assistance outside of those hours, please leave a message. There will also be someone monitoring the callcenter@gunnisoncounty.org email. 

Delivery Assistance

We can help you arrange deliveries of groceries from City Market’s Pickup program, food bundles from the Gunnison Food Pantry and prescriptions from City Market or Walmart pharmacies. We ask that you only use this service if you are at risk and isolating at home, ill with COVID-19 symptoms or quarantined because of exposure. Deliveries are made by drivers trained to handle your order safely. 

To arrange for a delivery, please call Senior Transportation Dispatch at 970-641-7959 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grocery deliveries can be scheduled Monday through Friday.

Prescription deliveries can be called in throughout the week but will only be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays for the Gunnison area and on Tuesdays for the Crested Butte area. Special arrangements may be made in the case of an emergency.

Food Pantry bundles can be requested throughout the week but are only delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays in Gunnison, and on Tuesdays for the Crested Butte area.