Vaccines available for Coloradans ages 12-15 as soon as this weekend

DENVER — Governor Jared Polis announced in a May 11 press conference that children ages 12 to 15 could be eligible to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech as early as this weekend.

“This is going to be a big part of ending the pandemic in Colorado, and I know parents are extremely eager to get their teenagers vaccinated,” Polis said.

The announcement comes just one day after the FDA granted emergency authorization for the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds. Previously, the vaccine was available to anyone 16 and up.

State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said a trial conducted by Pfizer found that the vaccine showed 100% efficacy among the 12-15 age group. Furthermore, none of the children who received the vaccine went on to contract COVID-19.

“Youth are currently accounting for more new cases in the state as many older Coloradans have already taken the opportunity to receive the vaccine,” Herlihy said. She added that the state’s highest case rates are now among middle and high schoolers.

One of the state’s main goals is to slow COVID-19 case growth in time for students to return to school in the fall.

Herlihy said the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold a vote Wednesday, May 12 to vote on a recommendation to allow Pfizer vaccines for the 12-15 age group. Once ACIP makes that recommendation, any vaccine provider in Colorado that has Pfizer doses will be able to vaccinate children in that age group. This includes the state-run Community Vaccination Sites.

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are not authorized for 12 to 15-year-olds yet.

Over 2.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered in Colorado. Just under 2.2 million Coloradans are fully vaccinated. NPR’s “vaccine tracker” predicts 50% of Coloradans will be vaccinated by May 28.

The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases has been on a decline since late April, but Colorado is certainly not out of the woods. The average of new statewide cases remains over 1,000 each day, and the two-week incidence rate remains “very high” in all but six of Colorado’s counties, according to the latest data from the CDPHE.

Polis said the state is trying to “meet people where they are” in order to get more Coloradans vaccinated. Part of that strategy—in addition to the mobile vaccine clinics—is to establish on-site vaccine clinics at workplaces.