Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
In late December 2019, the world was anticipating the excitement and possibilities of a new decade.
A presidential election was approaching as people watched politicians vying for the Democratic Party nominee. The world was readying itself for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. In Summit County, visitors flocked to local ski resorts to enjoy their winter vacations. No one was thinking about sourdough starters.
A year later, Summit County, along with the rest of the world, looks a lot different than it once did. People line up to enter grocery stores. Customers bundle up as they eat outside in below-zero temperatures. Seeing the lower half of a stranger’s face feels like an intrusion.
Lauren Gearhart flags vehicles through the line at the bus depot in Frisco on Sunday, Dec. 27, when health care workers, first responders and medical professionals received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Summit County residents ages 75 and older are next in line.
Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
Summit County residents who are 75 or older will be eligible to sign up for an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as early as this week.
An update on vaccine distribution was given during the Summit County Board of Health meeting Tuesday, Dec. 29, and Public Health Public Affairs Coordinator Nicole Valentine said a link to make an appointment will be made available on the county’s website.
DENVER Skier safety laws that require skiers to recognize inherent risks in the sport and be responsible for their own behavior have for decades protected the resort industry from large legal settlements and kept the public from understanding how often people are seriously hurt on the slopes.
But new statistics provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment offer a peek behind the resort industry’s curtain. A study of ski-season hospital admissions in 20 mountain ZIP codes shows as many as 55 skiers and snowboarders a day arriving at emergency departments.
Another report shows 4,151 skiers and snowboarders transported to emergency rooms in ambulances or helicopters in 2018, 2019 and the first part of 2020, which is about 10 patients every day of the season.
Community testing for the novel coronavirus will not be available on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. All three community testing sites will be closed for Christmas, according to the county’s testing webpage. People who are hospitalized.
Photo by Jason Connolly / From Summit Daily archives
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the dates of the county’s vaccine drive-thru event.
Summit County officials shared the latest information on the county’s novel coronavirus vaccine rollout and case numbers at the virtual Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Summit County Public Health Director Amy Wineland said the county received 900 doses in its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday. Wineland said the development was great, as it will enable the county to vaccinate the remainder of unvaccinated local health care workers before moving into Phase 1B, where the county will vaccinate out-patient health care providers, first responders and law enforcement members before adding more vaccination slots.