Jack Reed, 13, receives his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by Dr. David Wahl on Thursday at Vail Health Hospital in Vail. The Pfizer vaccine was approved for children 12-15-years-old, with Thursday being the first day the kids were able to receive a shot.
Chris Dillmann/cdillmann@vaildaily.com
For months now, Eagle County Emergency Management Director Birch Barron has asserted that nobody will be happier than he is when the county can finally lift its COVID-19 public health restrictions.
Barron plans to celebrate in less than a week. He won’t be the only person at the party.
Materials are prepared for one of the MIRA bus COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Dotsero. Pictured, from left, is former director of community impact for Eagle Valley Community Foundation Susie Davis; Vail Health physician assistant Sonja Hanson Fauchet; and MIRA program supervisor Virginia Lecea.
José Valsecia / Special to the Daily
Editor’s note: If any member of the public would like to get vaccinated, appointments can be scheduled online at
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The MIRA bus, an RV that delivers public health resources to underserved communities, will soon hold its 20th COVID-19 vaccine clinic for a total of about 3,000 local residents vaccinated the culmination of an effort to remove barriers to accessing the shot for local populations hit hardest by the virus.
Vail Recreation District / Special to the Daily
The Vail Recreation District’s trail running season gets underway on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the Boneyard Boogie 13K. The race in Eagle is the first event in the Vail Trail Running Series.
The Boneyard Boogie takes runners on a 13K scamper through pinyon groves and juniper shrubs on some of Eagle’s most scenic singletrack. The majority of the course takes place on singletrack with some doubletrack sections and a short jaunt down a paved bike path, with an elevation gain of approximately 1,400 feet reaching a maximum elevation of 7,650 feet. The Boneyard Boogie will be a loop course, starting and finishing at the Eagle Pool & Ice Rink.
Daily file photo
In his weekly report to the Eagle County Board of Commissioners, Emergency Management Director Birch Barron noted that as of this week, 58% of Eagle County’s residents have received at lease one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. That figure translates into nearly 32,000 doses.
Barron noted that 84 percent of county residents age 40 and older have been vaccinated. The county’s new push is to vaccinate more people in the 20- to 40-year-old age group. Disease spread figures from the state reflect the importance of having more young people vaccinated, Barron said.
“Vaccination is not only very effective at preventing disease, it is even more effective in preventing severe disease,” Barron said.
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Even with a recent influx of positive COVID-19 cases and quarantines, Eagle County Schools is optimistic and planning for (almost) normal prom and graduation ceremoneies for the areas’ high schools.
This decision is aided in large part by the evolving state and county mandates. On Friday, Colorado’s coronavirus dial expires, leaving it up to local communities to decide what restrictions are right for them regarding Eagle County has said that it hopes to lift restrictions by May 27 one day before Eagle County starts hosting its graduations.
According to Katie Jarnot, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Eagle County Schools, the plans are beginning to come together for graduation. “The public health orders will allow us to have a pretty normal graduation and the capacity limits will be lifted in such a way that we will be able to allow anyone who wants to attend, to attend,” she said at Wednesday’s school board meeting.