Colorado Pediatric Experts Helping Families Navigate New COVID Vaccine Guidance
DENVER (CBS4) - Several different counties and organizations in Colorado are beginning to vaccinate kids in Colorado after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the final OK to give out the COVID-19 vaccine to kids ages 5 to 11 on Tuesday.
Jefferson County started to administer the shot to kids on Wednesday afternoon. Children's Hospital will begin on Friday. A spokesperson with Denver Public Schools said they'll start on Monday.
Dr. Lucas Henderson, a pediatrician with Every Child Pediatrics said, this vaccine getting approved is an opportunity for us to limit the burden of the virus on everyone.
"I think it's an important part of helping to both protect our kids, to help out kids protect those around them as well, but also importantly to move towards a situation where children are able to engage in their activities in a much more normal way," said Henderson. "It's obviously understandable to have questions, and it's just important to ask those questions."
Henderson said they've been doing outreach with families not just now, but for months, since January. They're also hoping to reach out to families through email, phone and a patient portal.
"It's likely to look similar to what we would do during influenza season, which would be to send out essentially an informational mass message to our patients, that they would receive kind of in whatever they've chosen as their preferred motive," he said.
Henderson said their offices hope to offer the vaccines to their patients through a mass clinic, as well as during regular office visits.
"For families who want to get it as soon as possible, who would prefer to get it here in the pediatric office, we're trying to have availability to do that a little bit on a larger scale," Henderson said.
Find more information below:
Children's Hospital campuses across Colorado
- Mobile clinics and appointments start Nov. 5
- Appointments starting Nov. 7
Denver Public Schools & Denver Health
- Available starting Nov. 8
- Appointments available M-Th, 7 a.m.- 12 p.m., 1 p.m.- 5 p.m.
- Clinics starting Nov. 12