Moffat County Public Health Nurse Olivia Scheele (right) administers a Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at Sandrock Ridge Care and Rehab in late December 2020.
COVID-19 isn’t going away in Moffat County, and the county’s health department is trying to slow the toll it’s been taking on lives in the region.
Citing the Centers for Disease Control, a release from the health department lists again the comorbidities and conditions that increase risk of severe illness or death from contracting the disease.
It also gently recommends Moffat County residents get the vaccine.
“Many comorbidities and conditions make it more likely that a person who contracts COVID-19 will have severe symptoms, require hospitalization or die,” the release reads. “It is particularly important for those with any of these risk factors to take precautions to avoid contracting the virus as well as consider vaccination.”
The last year has been a busy one for Moffat County Public Health Nurse Olivia Scheele.
It’s safe to say it’s not a year she knowingly signed up for the workload and the general stress that the COVID-19 pandemic brought on has been incredible for public health workers nationwide.
Through it all though, Scheele – dubbed the “COVID Lady” by the Craig Press in the summer of 2020 has been front and center, taking care of patients left and right in the community, testing and vaccinating as many as possible to help Moffat County get a handle on the pandemic.
Moffat County Public Health Nurse Olivia Scheele (right) administers a Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at Sandrock Ridge Care and Rehab in late December 2020. (Courtesy Photo / Moffat County Public Health)
While the state of Colorado will receive much less in vaccines in the second major rollout than expected, Moffat County continues to roll along vaccinating community members with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Friday, Jan. 14, Moffat County is reporting it has vaccinated 1,174 people between its three medical entities in Memorial Regional Health, Moffat County Public Health, and Northwest Colorado Health.
According to a report from Public Health, MRH has administered 611 vaccines, Public Health has administered 408 vaccines, and Northwest Colorado Health has administered 156 vaccines. The majority of vaccines administered have been to those who are over the age of 70.