AURORA — Governor Jared Polis visited the Colorado State Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons in Aurora today to discuss the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine, and recognize and honor the contributions of those who have served in the military.
“Colorado has a rich and proud military heritage that goes back for generations, and that’s something we are immeasurably proud of. It was almost a year ago when we gathered here at Fitzsimons to administer some of the very first life-saving vaccines,” said Governor Polis. “As we recognize Veterans Day this week, I hope that every Coloradan thinks about how their actions impact the people around them, including our veteran community. Our veterans have supported us, now it’s our turn to support them. There are many ways that we can do that, and one of the best ways we can do that is to get vaccinated.”
95% of staff at the living center are vaccinated & nearly 98% of all residents are vaccinated.
Nearly 80% of all eligible Coloradans have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This past weekend, Colorado marked a major milestone in the pandemic with the first doses being administered to 5 to 11-year-old Coloradans. Since first administering those vaccines on Saturday, the Governor was proud to announce that more than 11,000 Colorado kids are on their way to being fully protected against the virus.
Gov. Polis was joined by Chief of the Joint Staff Colonel Michael Bruno from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, as well as Mike Menard and Lila Phillips, the children of Melvin Menard, the very first Fitzsimons resident to receive COVID-19 Vaccine, and John Rose, a Fitzsimons Resident and Army Veteran who also received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Governor Polis and members of the community were on hand last year when Fitzsimons residents received their first dose of the life-saving, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.