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COVID-19 delta variant is in Eagle County, but high vaccination rate provides protection

81% of Eagle County’s eligible residents have been vaccinated

The Colorado state health department sent a mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic to the Country Jam music festival in Mack in late June. In the three days of the festival, only six people of the thousands attending were vaccinated on the bus, despite U.S. Centers for Disease Control data indicating Western Colorado is a new virus hot spot.
Rae Ellen Bichell/Kaiser Health News

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is present in Eagle County.

“It is important to acknowledge the delta variant has been in Colorado for several weeks. It has become the dominant virus strain we are seeing in the state and we know it is much easier to transmit than the other variants,” said Heath Harmon, director of Eagle County Public Health and Environment.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Colorado’s Western Slope is currently a COVID-19 hot spot. But there’s one figure that puts Eagle County in a much different position than some of its neighboring locales.



As of this week, 81% of the county’s eligible residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Fortunately, for us in Eagle County, we are benefiting from a higher vaccination rate than some of the other Western Slope counties,” Harmon said. “But that doesn’t mean the risk of the Delta variant and ongoing transmission is zero.”

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Harmon said, on average, the county is now seeing two new COVID-19 cases per day. During the past week, there have been no COVID-19 hospitalizations in Eagle County.

“We are seeing clusters in communities and in families that are not vaccinated,” Harmon said. “The key here is knowing that nearly 99% of new cases and hospitalizations are occurring among people who are not vaccinated. The vaccines are pretty effective at preventing illness and they are extremely effective at preventing hospitalizations and severe disease.”

Open for business

Eagle County’s summer season is looking a lot like it normally does after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in cancellations, capacity restrictions and other measures last year. Harmon noted than even though an influx of visitors have arrived in the valley, the resident COVID-19 numbers haven’t perilously spiked — a demonstration of the county’s high vaccination rate and the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing severe disease.

It also reflects the fact that many summertime activities happen outside, where the risk of contagion is reduced, he acknowledged.

“In a tourism and visitor-based economy, we can feel more confident enjoying some of those summer events knowing that vaccination will provide protection,” he said. “Our vaccination campaign in Eagle County has been successful because of the interest among our community members to be vaccinated and protected.”

Eagle County can always do better, Harmon added. While the vaccination participation rate among residents age 80 and older is more than 90%, the figure for youth age 12 to 15 is around 50%. “Improving that rate to 70% or higher will help ensure our school year is more normal compared to last year,” Harmon said.

Never too late

Eagle County is no longer hosting mass vaccination events. But the EagleCountyCovid.org website continues to provide information about vaccination options.

“You can always call your doctor’s office as well,” Harmon said.

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