Denver is setting aside another $500,000 to improve the city’s vaccination rate among certain communities, Mayor Michael Hancock said Monday, with a portion of that money going to free doses for students and their families.

The city has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state: According to state data, more than 75% of Denver’s eligible population has received at least one dose as of Monday afternoon. But as has been the case statewide, that rate has dropped significantly since the spring. The city has averaged fewer than 900 doses delivered daily over the past week.

Still, city data indicates that Denver’s Hispanic population in particular has trailed white residents. At least 70% of Denver’s white residents in every age group have been vaccinated. For the Hispanic residents, only the 65-and-older group has a vaccination rate above 50%. 

To address the disparity, Hancock announced at his “State of the City” address Monday that an additional $500,000 would be set aside “to continue bringing vaccines into neighborhoods and communities with low vaccination rates,” he said. The money comes from a federal immunization grant, a spokeswoman said.

It’s unclear how much of that money will go where. In a late Monday afternoon press release, the city wrote that a “portion of the funding” will be used to provide free vaccinations to eligible Denver Public School students and families. It’s a new phase of the city’s previous vaccine program, which gave students other inoculations for free. 

“In addition to providing other vaccinations for diseases such as measles, pertussis and influenza, mobile outreach teams will now also be visiting schools across the district to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to all eligible children and their families,” the city wrote in its release.

A city spokeswoman said late Monday that “the exact spend on DPS versus other vaccination opportunities is still being determined. But all funding is going towards vaccines in under-vaccinated communities.”

Hancock told the Gazette that the city recognized it had “some work to do in terms of those who are unvaccinated.”

“We need to go back to those communities that have low vaccination rates and meet residents where they are,” he said. “So, those funds are going to be used to improve accessibility, improve outreach and do what we can to get the message across on how critically important it is to get vaccinated.” He didn’t provide any specifics beyond that about where the money would go or program names.

He, too, did not provide specifics on how the money will be used.

In the city’s release, officials noted the mounting concerns “over the highly contagious delta variant.” The state’s COVID-19 numbers have ticked steadily upward in recent days, as have Denver’s. Though both are still far below previous levels, they represent a reversal of weeks of decreases, even though the bulk of the city has been inoculated. A Denver Health official said last week that there’s “every reason to believe” that the delta variant is driving the growth in cases, here and statewide.

Asked if Denver was considering re-instituting any of its public health measures, Hancock said “not really” and noted the city’s high vaccination rate.

“But the reality is, we’ve got to keep our tool chest flush with the options available to us to keep people safe,” he told The Gazette. “And, two, we’ve got to continue doing everything we can to encourage folks to get vaccinated – that’s simply the facts.”

Gazette staff write Hannah Metzger contributed to this report.