Colorado Parents: Do You Want Your Young Teens Vaccinated?

COLORADO — The federal panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend that the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine be used in children ages 12-15 after the Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this week that it was expanding its emergency use authorization for the vaccine.

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.

"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."

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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.

If you're a parent of a child between the ages of 12-15, Patch wants to know whether you plan on having your child vaccinated. Take our survey below and let us know. The survey will remain open until 5 p.m. local time on Friday.