The number of daily vaccinations for COVID-19 continues to grow in Mesa County.

Grand Junction Convention Center is a mass vaccination site and has seen daily appointments rise from an average of about 500 per day to 800 daily. This week that number is expected to be up to around 1,000 individuals receiving their first or second dose of the vaccine. All vaccinations are being done by appointment only.

Jeff Kuhr, Executive Director of Mesa County Public Health says they are on track to " reach our community goal of vaccinating individuals age 70 and older by the end of February."  Wait times have been greatly reduced, and people who filled out a vaccination form a couple of weeks ago are starting to be contacted. You can check on the status of your submission on the MCPH website.

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As vaccination supply increases, the next group of eligible residents - those aged 65-69 - will begin receiving the vaccine in the coming weeks. According to Mesa County Public Health, those who have signed up to receive the vaccine should be receiving appointment scheduling information within the next three weeks.

Other vaccine providers in Mesa County include City Market, Safeway, and Family Physicians of Western Colorado. These providers have received the vaccine, but MCPH says the vaccine may or may not be available at these locations, which are not open for walk-in appointments.

Making the county's schools as safe as possible has been a priority, and on February 8, PreK- 12th-grade educators became eligible to receive the vaccine. As of Friday, all School District 51 educators and eligible staff had been offered an appointment.

It may seem like a slow process, but steady progress is being made in Mesa County to get the vaccine to everyone who wants it. We've known all along it was going to take time. A great resource for anyone who has questions about getting vaccinated is Mesa County Public Health's website, which has a ton of information and is updated regularly.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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