Dear All,
The spread of COVID-19 in our community is currently peaking, again. This wave of the Delta variant of the virus is stressing local hospitals now with an increasing influx of COVID-19 patients and fifteen COVID-19 deaths in Pueblo at Parkview Hospital alone just in the last seven days. Treatments for other patients with medical needs are being delayed due to the large number of COVID-19 patients.
For this reason and to make our workplace safer, PCCLD’s COVID-19 mitigation practices will remain in place. This includes required masking in shared indoor library environments along with encouraging social distancing, frequent hand-washing, and other measures.
Employees also are encouraged to vaccinate against COVID-19. The Pueblo County Department of Public Health & Environment, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cite data showing that vaccinated individuals are much less likely to experience serious illness than those who are unvaccinated. The CDC now recommends booster doses as significantly improving the vaccines’ protection against COVID-19 (https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p1021-covid-booster.html).
Booster doses are approved for many individuals, and, yesterday, I received word from Randy Evetts, who is Pueblo’s Public Health Director, that library workers are eligible for booster doses, if you feel at risk because of your work. Eligible individuals may get a booster after receiving the Jansen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine more than two months ago or the full course of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines more than six months ago. According to the CDC: “Individuals may choose which vaccine they receive as a booster dose. Some people may have a preference for the vaccine type that they originally received and others may prefer to get a different booster. CDC’s recommendations now allow for this type of mix and match dosing for booster shots.” More information on where to get booster shots is available here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/vaccine/where-you-can-get-vaccinated, and PCCLD will provide special leave to allow time for you to receive your booster.
Thank you for continuing to complete the COVID-19 health tracker when reporting to work (https://www.pueblolibrary.org/mycovidhealthcheck) and taking other precautions to better ensure a safe workplace during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Jon
Jon Walker
Executive Director
