Inaccuracy Within Fremont County Vaccine Data
FREMONT COUNTY- According to the Colorado COVID-19 Vaccination Data dashboard, only 37.5% of the eligible population in Fremont County has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Fremont County Department of Public Health and Environment (FCDPHE) and the local Board of Health disagree vehemently with these numbers, and are working tirelessly to advocate the state to have them corrected.
Offenders in the 6 Department of Corrections and 4 Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities are counted in the county’s base population. However, inmate vaccine data is not being reported in Fremont County’s vaccination rates. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), offenders have been required to report their home address when vaccinated instead of the local facility address where they are currently residing. This means offenders living in Fremont County correctional facilities who are vaccinated are not counted in Fremont County’s vaccination rate. Approximately 7,400 offenders currently are housed in Fremont County correctional facilities.
As of June 9th 2021, the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence reported that 62% of offenders, 1,444 individuals, have received at least one dose of vaccine. Unfortunately, even though requested repeatedly, vaccine data for offenders in the Colorado Department of Corrections facilities in Fremont County has not been provided to FCDPHE.
Fremont County officials have repeatedly asked the state to correct these inaccuracies by including the vaccinated offenders who reside in Fremont County in our vaccination rate, or by taking the offender population out of our base eligible population rate.
“Fremont County consistently hovers at the lowest levels of vaccination rates,” said Kayla Marler, FCDPHE Director. “Those numbers are wrong. They are not scientific. They must be corrected, but we continue to hit a wall when we ask for resolution. This shouldn’t be that difficult.”
“Our residents need to know we are doing much, much better than the state’s numbers indicate,” Marler said. “Our citizens have done an excellent job with the vaccination, and we thank you all for your diligent efforts.”