My Fellow Coloradans, 

One year ago today, we announced the first case of COVID-19 in Colorado, and just eight days later, on March 13, 2020, I shared with Coloradans that our state had experienced its first death from COVID-19. Over the last year, Colorado has lost 5,995 souls to this deadly virus. That’s nearly 6,000 grandmothers and grandfathers, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. They are our neighbors, our loved ones. 

Each of us have felt the impacts of these last 12 months, and we’ve all made sacrifices. Many of us have experienced loss, and it’s not only the loss of a loved one that we grieve. We mourn the loss of a job, or the loss of the daily routines we once relied on. But despite it all, Coloradans never ceased to display the grit, perseverance, and kindness that has carried us through this pandemic and helped us rise to meet the moment time and time again.  

I want to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you, for all you’ve done over this last year. You’ve all experienced your own hardships. Many of you had to learn how to work remotely while balancing your child’s at-home learning, others went in every day even at risk to themselves. You traded family dinners for phone calls and virtual game nights. You adapted to the new way of life that this pandemic forced upon us. And all while continuing to provide the essential services that our fellow Coloradans rely on. I applaud you.  

One year into this pandemic, many are wondering, ‘when will this end?’ We can all see that light at the end of the tunnel – but we’re not there quite yet. And as we work to reach that finish line, every Coloradan has the power to slow the spread of this deadly disease and help protect themselves and their loved ones. And we can’t stop now. We have to continue doing everything in our power to protect each other and save lives until we can get the vaccine to every Coloradan who wants one.  

We continue making great progress in vaccine distribution, having recently reached our goal of vaccination 70% of all Coloradans 70 and older. And we continue racing to get the vaccine to those who continue to be most at risk. There are currently 965,945 Coloradans immunized with one vaccine dose and 521,567 Coloradans vaccinated with two doses.  

This past year has been hard on us all. But Coloradans are resilient. We’ve proven time and time again that we don’t back down when things get tough. In the weeks and months to come, we all have a role to play in keeping ourselves and each other safe. So please, do it for those we have lost, do it for each other. Continue wearing a mask in public, maintaining at least six feet of physical distance from others, limiting contact with anyone outside your household, washing your hands often, and staying home when you are sick. 

Everyday we take another step closer to the end of this pandemic. Together, we can get through this.