On Monday, Summit County received its largest number of vaccine doses yet from the state. While it is still likely months away from offering a vaccine to all county residents, the county revised its timeline for vaccinating older residents. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)
Summit County received 900 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the state on Monday, more than double its typical weekly allotment and its largest shipment to date, but officials indicated that the vaccine supply could skyrocket as soon as April when there could be three or four times that number delivered weekly.
“My hope is that in three or four or five weeks, 900 doesn’t seem that big,” Health Director Rich Bullough told the Summit County Board of Health on Monday. “But right now, that 900 is a big number for us.”
While life in a pandemic has become routine, that doesn’t mean it has become easier, and local officials are taking note of that.
At a Summit County Board of Health meeting Thursday, Jan. 28, Building Hope Summit County Executive Director Jen McAtamney presented on mental health trends throughout the county. The board invited McAtamney to the meeting in an effort to gain a better understanding of how the pandemic is impacting all aspects of life for locals.
Overall, the nonprofit is seeing increased demand and severity when it comes to depression, anxiety and substance use.
“At the very beginning of this, we actually saw a decrease in anxiety and depression,” McAtamney said at the meeting. “But as the lockdown wore on, and as things have subsequently gone on, we’ve seen an increase in depression and anxiety. … Everything is more acute.”
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A sign informs visitors of the mandatory mask zone in Breckenridge on July 12. The zone encompasses all of Main Street as well as some surrounding areas. Summit County officials are working to find ways to improve compliance with COVID-19 regulations as the community struggles with pandemic fatigue.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the most recent COVID-19 case data published by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education.
Although COVID-19 cases across Colorado are on the decline, the opposite trend is happening in Summit County and other resort communities.
As of Wednesday, Jan. 27, the state’s two-week cumulative incidence rate was 384.6 new cases per 100,000 people, a number that has been steadily declining since the state saw a bump in cases in mid-January.
Photo from Rocky Mountain National Park
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With more than 27 square miles of Rocky Mountain National Park burned on the western side alone, recovery efforts for the iconic landmark will be extensive.
Chief of Resource Stewardship Koren Nydick outlined the park’s plan for emergency stabilization and burned area rehabilitation to Grand County commissioners on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The plan covered impacts like trail and road management, vegetation and wildlife, watershed concerns and cultural resources.
The East Troublesome Fire burned 31 miles of trails on the western side of the Rocky, known as the Colorado River District or Grand Lake’s backyard. Eighteen campsites and 13.5 miles worth of roads were also in the burn area.