The White House appears unlikely to approve a request from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock for direct shipments of the vaccine, which Hancock proposed as a way for the city to vaccinate the homeless and other at-risk populations.

The city released the letter Hancock sent to the White House in mid-February, which reiterated a previous request for direct shipments. This latest request came right after Gov. Jared Polis said he would not immediately grant Hancock’s wish to begin vaccinating all those experiencing homelessness, which was out of step with the state’s prioritization plan. But advocates for the unhoused have said that population is at higher risk of severe disease and hospitalization.

It appears that many of Denver’s unhoused will have to wait another six weeks, at least, before they can begin receiving doses. Hancock said at a press conference earlier this week that though there had not been a formal conversation with federal officials, Hancock’s office “did get word that it doesn’t look likely that they’re going to change anything about protocols at this time.”

Despite the public break with Polis when it comes to inoculating the unhoused, Hancock said the governor wanted to be a partner with the city and “make sure we have everything we need.”

“To me, that’s the thing we wanted all along,” he said.

Hancock also said that Denver will begin vaccinating its jail inmates after receiving approval from the state Department of Public Health and Environment. Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that inmates be vaccinated alongside the staff guarding them, Polis has repeatedly said he doesn’t want inmates getting any broad priority, and the state plan has not budged on that account. Inmates, similar to the unhoused, will have to wait until their age group or health status gives them priority.

In a statement to the Gazette, city spokespeople said that there are “approximately 20 individuals” in custody who are at least 65 years old, all of whom should’ve been eligible for the vaccine for a few weeks at the minimum.

“The next step is to receiving the vaccines,” the spokespeople said in an email. “The plan is to have Denver Health Services staff vaccinate people who are in-custody and eligible to receive a vaccination per the state’s phased plan.”

At the press conference earlier this week, Bill Burman, the executive director of Denver Public Health, said the city had been working on vaccinating older inmates. But the storage and use requirements of the first two approved vaccines were “challenging.” The new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, by contrast, is less temperamental when it comes to storage.