Headlines July 8, 2021
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Polis Ends Health Emergency Order
Governor Jared Polis has formally ended the health emergency declaration in Colorado with regards the pandemic. That does not mean the virus has stopped spreading, but that state authorities are acting as though the worst of it is mostly under control thanks to widespread uptake and availability of vaccines.
Governor Polis says efforts are now shifting to recovery efforts.
State officials say just over 70 percent of Coloradans eligible for the vaccine have received at least one dose. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released new modeling data yesterday showing the effective reproduction number of coronavirus infections is now below one. The CDPHE also estimates around 90 percent of new infections in the state are caused by the highly contagious Delta variant.
New Dates for Vaccines Clinics in Boulder
The City of Boulder has announced a new round of dates for pop-up vaccination clinics in the downtown area. Shots are available Sundays noon to 5pm and Mondays from 2 to 7pm at the Boulder Public Library at the north entrance along Canyon Boulevard. These Sunday and Monday clinics start the day after tomorrow and will continue until August 16th. Attendees will be able to choose between the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine for adults and the 2 dose Pfizer vaccine, which is approved for use in people 12 years old and up. No ID, proof of insurance nor appointments are required. Spanish translators will be available on site.
Resolution of Opioid Lawsuit
Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family have been ordered to turn over twenty years worth of records as part of a court resolution. It’s the result of a lawsuit to which the State of Colorado was a party.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser on Thursday announced the resolution of his lawsuit against the Sackler family and their company, Purdue Pharma, that will make public tens of millions of documents related to their role in the opioid crisis, and require the Sacklers to pay at least $4.3 billion for prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts in communities across Colorado and the country.
Attorney General Weiser said that the actions of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family contributed significantly to a crisis level of opioid use cases and nearly 5,000 overdose deaths in Colorado. Colorado, along with 14 other states, are holding Purdue and the Sacklers accountable for their conduct in the crisis they caused in the state and around the country.
The resolution of the case, which was filed in bankruptcy court on Wednesday night and is subject to approval, requires unprecedented disclosure about the role Purdue and the Sacklers played in fueling the opioid crisis. It requires Purdue and the Sacklers to make public more than 30 million documents, including attorney-client privileged communications about Purdue’s manipulation of the original FDA approval of OxyContin, and its fraudulent and deceptive marketing tactics to promote its opioid drug Oxycontin.
The Sacklers will pay $4.325 billion over the next nine years, with Colorado expected to receive at least $50 million. The state will then disperse the money to local governments.
Thousands of individual victims of Purdue’s misconduct will also receive compensation as part of the bankruptcy process.
