Gov. Jared Polis, through his 6th Amended Public Health Order 20-38, began requiring hospitals on Sept. 1 to include age and vaccination status of patients as elements of hospital data reporting.

As a result, on Friday, Sept. 24, the state website’s COVID-19 data dashboard was updated to include a daily snapshot of vaccination status of patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

The information is accessible through the “hospital data” tab on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s main data dashboard.

The information is meant to be used for situational awareness, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“The vaccination status of those currently hospitalized is based on data the hospitals report daily to CDPHE through EMResource, the Healthcare Emergency Resource Management system,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stated. “Vaccination status of currently hospitalized individuals is reported in aggregate, and therefore cannot be verified by CDPHE at the patient level. EMResource data provides a snapshot of hospitalizations in Colorado, and is meant to be used for situational awareness.”

Polis: Deadly impediment out of the way

Also Friday, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted in favor of providing a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

The committee members unanimously voted to support the administration of a booster for high-risk and 65-and-older individuals, as well as health care workers and others at high risk for occupational exposure.

“This recommendation helps remove a deadly impediment that stood in the way of Colorado getting highly effective boosters out to nursing homes residents, and are planning to start next week as soon as the FDA decision is finalized,” Polis stated. “Nearly everyone living in nursing homes got the Pfizer vaccine because it was available first and we prioritized the elderly and most vulnerable, and now we will rapidly roll out the booster to save lives and help end the pandemic. This recommendation for a booster should cover everyone in Colorado who received a Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.”

The recommended timing of the booster is about six months after the second dose.

Polis said the advisory committee vote will likely cover everyone who received the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago, as the vaccine was only available to those 65 and older, front-line essential workers during February, and in March extended to people 60 and older.

Polis described the advisory committee vote as “overdue but welcome” news.

“We want to end the pandemic now and our state is ready to administer the booster to our seniors in long-term care and residential facilities starting as soon as next week,” Polis said on Friday. “The United States can get more people protected with the first two doses, give effective boosters and export the safe and effective vaccine to countries abroad — this is not a time to pick just one — our country has enough safe and effective vaccine for all three.”