Colorado Begins Vaccine Rollout For Ages 12+: What To Know

DENVER, CO — An advisory committee with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Wednesday that the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine be given to people ages 12 to 15, and Coloradans in that age group will now be able to get their vaccine from any provider that offers Pfizer, the state's public health agency announced Wednesday evening.

Teenagers under age 18 need parental consent to receive their vaccine, Colorado health officials said. Parents do not need to be present for the vaccination as long as consent is documented, but they should check with the vaccine provider to confirm.

“We are excited to hear that we are able to offer this safe and effective vaccine to nearly 300,000 additional Coloradans between the ages of 12 and 15,” said Dr. Alexis Burakoff, a medical epidemiologist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“As more older Coloradans have accessed the vaccine, we are seeing higher rates of cases in teenagers and children. We know there is a clear correlation between high vaccination rates and low infection rates, and this vaccine can now provide relief for thousands of additional families across the state.”

CVS Health announced that vaccine appointments for teens ages 12 to 15 are now available for scheduling at pharmacy locations nationwide.

The state’s vaccine provider map includes information about which vaccine each location is administering. All the state’s community vaccination sites offer the Pfizer vaccine, and most do not require an appointment.

Schools and organizations can also arrange to have a clinic set up to vaccinate teens through Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

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The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine Monday for emergency use for people ages 12 and older.

"For younger Coloradans, this doesn't just mean getting much-needed protection from this disease, it also means even safer classrooms and after-school activities, the opportunity to visit with friends and family without guilt, and the chance to get closer to life as we knew it," Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement released Monday.

"This last year hasn't been easy for Colorado students, and I'm glad to see that even more will now be able to live without fear as they head into the summer and this next school year. "

Many Colorado middle and high schools have seen a recent surge of coronavirus cases, Polis said.

The Food and Drug Administration declared the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The study found no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among kids given dummy shots. More intriguing, researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.

The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.

Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19 yet they still have been hard-hit by the pandemic. They represent nearly 14 percent of the nation's coronavirus cases. At least 296 have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. alone and more than 15,000 have been hospitalized, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Experts say children must get the shots if the country is to vaccinate the 70 percent to 85 percent of the population necessary to reach what's called herd immunity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.