If you are feeling ill, even if your symptoms are unrelated to COVID-19, we still want to provide for your healthcare needs. Please do not forgo serious medical care for any reason.
Vaccination
Offering Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, and the Omicron variant booster. Appointments are required for both adult and pediatric vaccines.
Make an appointment by calling 719-587-9610. Vaccines are also available during your regularly scheduled medical appointments. Please notify the scheduler if you would like to be vaccinated during your medical appointment.
The Moderna vaccine is available for most patients:
- Age 6 months – 5 years: Moderna vaccine is available.
- Age 6 years to 11 years: Moderna vaccine is not available due to low demand.
- Age 12+: Moderna vaccine available.
Pediatric Vaccinations
Valley-Wide is now offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11 by appointment only through our clinics. A parent or guardian must be present in order for us to administer the vaccine.
The Moderna vaccine is available for most patients:
- Age 6 months – 5 years: Moderna vaccine is available.
- Age 6 years to 11 years: Moderna vaccine is not available due to low demand.
- Age 12+: Moderna vaccine available.
Schedule an appointment for a pediatric vaccine by calling 719-587-9610.
Booster Vaccinations
Valley-Wide Health Systems is now authorized to provide booster shots for all people over the age of 18. We can provide boosters for Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J patients. In order to receive a booster, you must have:
- Received both doses of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or the single dose Janssen (J&J) vaccine.
- You must wait at least 6 months after receiving your second Moderna or Pfizer dose to receive your booster.
- For the J&J vaccine you must wait at least 2 months before receiving a booster.
Schedule an appointment for a booster by calling 719-587-9610.
Vaccine FAQs and Updates:
The United States is fortunate to have highly effective vaccines that are widely available. People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta. People who are not vaccinated remain at risk. Virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who are unvaccinated. We encourage Americans who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and their community.
FDA, CDC, and NIH are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary. This process takes into account laboratory data, clinical trial data, and cohort data – which can include data from specific pharmaceutical companies, but does not rely on those data exclusively. We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed.
CDPHE UPDATE: Quarantine Recommendations after Vaccination
If you would like to save some time, you can download the vaccine consent form here. Print, fill it out and bring it with you to your vaccine appointment.
Coloradans can look up their vaccination records through the online Colorado Immunization Information System Public Portal or call the CIIS Help Desk (303-692-2437, option 2) to check that the state has their data.
Do you have questions about the vaccine?
- University of CO Vaccination Text to Chat service:
- Text “hello” to (814) 561-2015 to ask questions about vaccine safety, how well the vaccines work, what ages can receive the vaccine, where to go to receive the vaccine and much more. Text chat services provided by University of Colorado in partnership with Valley-Wide Health Systems.
- CDC COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ
Testing
A positive home test is considered a positive result. If you receive a positive test result from a home test, please isolate for 5 days, followed by 5 days of masking.
Valley-Wide does not have any free COVID testing at this time (July 2022) but we do have take home tests available from our Convenient Care clinics in Alamosa and La Junta, and at our Pharmacy.
The State of Colorado is currently providing free rapid COVID test kits for home testing. Click here to learn more.
Paxlovid Treatment
The CDPHE lists Valley-Wide as a location providing Paxlovid treatment. In order to receive Paxlovid treatment for COVID, you must be an established Valley-Wide patient.
About Paxlovid:
- Paxlovid is a pill for people who have mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms and are at high risk of getting very sick. People age 12 years or older who weigh at least 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds) can take Paxlovid. It is available by prescription only.
- People who are eligible for Paxlovid should receive it as soon as possible after they have been diagnosed with COVID-19, starting within five days of their first symptoms.
Valley-Wide Town Halls
Valley-Wide held a second Town Hall style presentation on May 11, 2021, to answer updated question about the COVID-19 vaccines:
Valley-Wide held a Town Hall style presentation on January 6, 2021 to give our employees a chance to have their questions about the vaccine answered by healthcare professionals. We want to share the video of that presentation with our communities as well:
More Vaccine Information:
Colorado-specific information on COVID-19 vaccine can be found here:
- Colorado COVID-19 Vaccine Website: COVID-19 vaccine | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
- Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): COVID-19 Vaccine frequently asked questions | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
- Learn about COVID-19 vaccines: Learn about COVID-19 vaccines | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
- Colorado Vaccine Dashboard (including county-level data): Vaccine data | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
- CDPHE COVID-19 vaccine hotline: This is a state-wide call center for the public to ask questions specifically about the COVID-19 vaccine. The hotline is open hours a day, seven days a week. The toll-free number is 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926).
Financial Assistance for Funerals:
Financial assistance is now available for COVID related funeral expenses incurred after January 20th of 2020.
If you or someone you know have lost a loved one from COVID, you may be eligible for reimbursement of your funeral expenses. Please see these flyers or call FEMA at 844-684-6333 for more information:
FEMA Funeral Assistance – English
Asistencia para gastos fúnebres por COVID-19
COVID-19 FAQ
Valley-Wide Health Systems is closely monitoring updates related to the COVID-19 virus coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) and Environment and the local county health departments in our regions.
Valley-Wide is actively monitoring the situation and refining response plans to ensure our procedures reflect the most current recommendations for maintaining the safety of our patients, staff and community.
What should I do if I think I have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)?
The best thing to do first, is to call one of the area coronavirus hotlines to speak with a triage nurse about your symptoms. The triage nurse will then inform you whether you are recommended to pursue testing.
SLV Region:
- Rio Grande Hospital 719-657-4990
- SLVHealth Respiratory Clinic 719-589-3000 ext. 9
- Valley-Wide Health Systems 1-833-350-1113 ext. 4 (M-F), 719-589-2562 (Sa/Su)
Upper and Lower AKV Region:
- Valley-Wide Health Systems 1-833-350-1113 ext. 4 (M-F), 719-589-2562 (Sa/Su)
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
How long do COVID-19 symptoms last?
- It depends on severity of illness.
How long does it take to start showing symptoms after being exposed to COVID-19?
- 2-14 days
When to seek emergency medical attention:
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency room: Please notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
Higher risk groups include
- Older people (over age 60), especially those over 80 years.
- People who have chronic medical conditions like heart, lung, or kidney disease, or diabetes.
- Older people with chronic medical conditions are at greatest risk
Resources:
Information about COVID-19:
Mental Health Resources:
The global COVID-19 outbreak is a new and unknown situation for many people, causing feelings of anxiety, stress, fear, and grief. These mental health resources may be of assistance.
Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teacher During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak
Recursos de salud mental en español:
