New Team Vaccine Blog Series: COVID-19, Flu and RSV – We’ve Got Vaccines for All Three!

by

This month on the Team Vaccine blog, Immunize Colorado published part two of a three-part series titled COVID-19, Flu, and RSV, We’ve Got Vaccines for All Three! Part two, Make Flu Stop with You, breaks down information about flu vaccines, including why it’s important to get vaccinated this fall.

Stay tuned for part three, which will dive into the latest on vaccines and treatments for RSV! Missed part one? Read it here!

Read part two on Team Vaccine.

New Campaign Highlights COVID-19, Flu, and RSV Vaccines and Treatments for Respiratory Virus Season

by

It’s officially fall in Colorado! With changing leaves and cooler temperatures comes an increase in respiratory illnesses, including flu, COVID-19, and RSV. Last year, Colorado experienced high levels of illness and hospitalization from all three, placing increased burden on healthcare systems. Thankfully, this year we have new tools (in the form of vaccines and treatments) to help prevent these viruses and keep Colorado communities healthy! But these new tools and their complex recommendations have brought some confusion. To clarify the recommendations, Immunize Colorado developed a respiratory virus season communications campaign: COVID-19, Flu, and RSV, We’ve Got Vaccines for All Three! We invite you to share these campaign resources with your patients, community members, and anyone else who may benefit.

Public health officials urge caregivers to get children caught up on routine vaccines

by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2023

CONTACT: Emily Clancy, Communications Director
Mobile: 303-653-1125
Emily.Clancy@childrenscolorado.org

Aurora, Colo. – Immunize Colorado joins public health agencies, health care providers, schools, and partner organizations across the state to call on parents and guardians to keep vaccine-preventable diseases out of Colorado classrooms and communities.

“The easiest and most effective way to make sure your child has a healthy school year is to get them vaccinated,” said Emily Bustos, the executive director of Immunize Colorado. “Let’s work together to keep our children healthy this year.”

Data for the 2022-2023 school year show decreases in kindergarten, K-12, and child care vaccination rates for all vaccines, with the most pronounced decreases observed among kindergartners:

  • With the exception of hepatitis B (90.7%), immunization rates for school-required vaccines among kindergartners all fell below 90% for the second year in a row.
  • MMR coverage among kindergartners (86.8%) is the lowest since the 2017-2018 school year.

To comply with school immunization law, a student must have on file a:

  • Record of being up to date on all vaccines required by age/grade, and/or a laboratory report showing immunity to select vaccines or diseases; OR
  • Certificate of medical or nonmedical exemption; OR
  • Written plan to become up to date.

If you have questions about school-required or vaccines recommended for children, Immunize Colorado is here to help with answers:

What vaccines are required for K-12 school entry in Colorado?
Hepatitis B, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccines are required for K-12 school entry in Colorado — many of these are combination vaccines. In addition to these vaccines, several other recommended vaccines provide protection against other preventable diseases. These include meningococcal, hepatitis A, rotavirus, human papillomavirus, influenza, and COVID-19.

Can children receive all of their routine vaccines in the same visit?
Yes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) support giving routine vaccines at the same time or close together. Use well visits as an opportunity to get your child caught up on missed vaccines.

How much does it cost to get routine vaccines?
Routine vaccines, including those required for school, are free for most children. Medicaid, CHP+ and most private health insurers cover the full cost of all childhood vaccines. If you do not have insurance, you can get free vaccines at more than 570 provider locations statewide. Find a free vaccine provider near you.

What are common side effects for routine vaccines?
Common side effects for routine vaccines include soreness, swelling, and redness at the injection site, fatigue, body chills, itchiness, and low-grade fevers. Side effects typically go away on their own after a few days. While these side effects are common across all vaccines, they are a sign the vaccine is working how it should, protecting your child against the serious and long-term complications vaccine-preventable diseases can have. Getting vaccinated against these preventable diseases is the best way to keep your child and community safe.

“Vaccinating our children is a generous act,” Ms. Bustos said. “When we do, we not only protect our child from serious illness, but also babies who are too young to be vaccinated and people who can’t get vaccinated because of medical conditions. Join us in protecting those who are most at risk by making sure your children stay up to date on routine vaccinations.”

Colorado has tools to help parents/guardians make informed choices about vaccinating their children:

  • COVax4Kids.org helps people find out if their children are eligible for low- or no-cost vaccines and helps them find a provider who gives them.
  • COVaxRecords.org shows people how to request vaccination records for their children.
  • COVaxRates.org makes it easy for parents and guardians to look up vaccination and exemption rates for schools and child care facilities in Colorado so they can make the best decision for their children.
  • ChildVaccineCO.org has more information on routine vaccines, as well as where to find a provider who offers low- or no-cost vaccines.
  • ShotsForTotsAndTeens.org has information on weekend clinics offering low- and no-cost vaccines in Aurora, Westminster, Longmont, and Lakewood throughout the year.

ABOUT IMMUNIZE COLORADO
Immunize Colorado is a statewide, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is to protect Colorado families, schools and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunize Colorado does not accept funding from vaccine manufacturers or distributors. To learn more, visit www.immunizecolorado.org and connect with Immunize Colorado on Facebook and Twitter.

###

Julissa Soto Wins 2023 Association of Immunization Managers Champion Award

by

The prestigious 2023 Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) Immunization Champion Award honors individuals at the local level who go above and beyond to foster and promote vaccines for adults and/or children in their communities. This year, AIM selected Julissa Soto as the Colorado honoree. Award winners are a diverse array of pharmacists, providers, nurses, and community leaders that have made a significant impact on improving public health through increasing immunization rates for their community. Julissa has worked tirelessly throughout Colorado to promote vaccine access and uptake, particularly in the Latinx community. She works with Immunize Colorado as a trusted messenger and is responsible for getting over 23,000 Latino adults, youth, and children vaccinated. Congratulations, Julissa!

Learn more about Julissa and the Immunization Champion Award

We’re Hiring! 3 Youth Vaccine Ambassador Positions

by

At Immunize Colorado, we work to protect Colorado families, schools, and communities
from vaccine-preventable diseases. One of Immunize Colorado’s current priorities is to involve young people (ages 16-18), as vaccine ambassadors for COVID-19, Influenza, HPV, and other recommended vaccinations in this work. Immunize Colorado is looking for young people to help us plan initiatives to improve vaccination rates for teens, particularly in BIPOC communities.

No experience is necessary for this position. The role is flexible and offers competitive pay ($18/hour). Ambassadors gain unique experience working in public health and have the opportunity to work alongside physicians, public health professionals, and other vaccine experts.

Learn more and apply!

August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)!

by

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August which highlights the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. As vaccination rates have declined over the past two years, NIAM serves as a particularly important opportunity to remind parents to get their kids caught up on routine wellness visits and vaccines, especially before they head back to school this fall. Want to get involved? Help spread the word:

Join the Colorado Refugee & Immigrant Immunization Taskforce (RIIT)

by

Immunize Colorado is currently working to reinvigorate our Refugee and Immigrant Immunization Taskforce (RIIT), a collective group of healthcare providers, community members, and public health workers dedicated to serving refugee and immigrant communities in the state. We are looking to expand the taskforce and invite community leaders and members from local refugee and immigrant communities to participate, as we recognize the need for the groups we hope to serve to have a seat at the table and be part of the decision-making process. The next RIIT meeting will take place on Zoom on Thursday, August 17 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

If you or others are interested in attending the meeting or learning more about the RIIT, please contact Edric Gagui, Immunization Outreach and Education Coordinator, at edric.gagui@childrenscolorado.org.

Immunize Colorado Offers Online Film Screening of Virulent: The Vaccine War

by

Immunize Colorado is excited to host an in-person screening of the film Virulent: The Vaccine War at the Colorado Regional Immunization Summit in June! Summit registration closes on Friday, May 26.  

Can’t make it to the Summit? You can still join in the fun and watch the film from home! Tickets are just $15 and a portion of ticket sales will be donated back to Immunize Colorado. The film will be available to watch for a limited time from May 27 – June 5.

(Please note that Summit registrants will receive a link to watch the film online for FREE if they are unable to attend the in-person screening.)

PURCHASE FILM TICKETS

New Data Tools Help Parents, Policymakers, and Schools Understand Their Community’s Vaccination Rates

by

Just 32 of 182 school districts in Colorado can boast student vaccination coverage rates of 95% or higher in all of their schools for all school-required vaccines (80% for Tdap). That’s the goal set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2030. Across the state, only 46% of students attend a school that achieved this level of coverage. 

These 32 districts made Immunize Colorado’s 2021/22 Immunity Community Honor Roll – released this week – which honors Colorado schools and school districts that achieve exceptional vaccine coverage. With 182 school districts across the state, this means just 18% of districts received this designation for the 2021/22 school year.  

In addition to the Honor Roll, Immunize Colorado this week released dashboards and supplemental customized fact sheets for each Colorado school district, legislative district, and county that summarize school- and child care-level vaccination data from the 2021/22 school year made publicly available by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). These resources help child care and school staff, parents, policymakers, and the public understand the level of protection against preventable diseases in their community. The school-specific dashboards allow users to compare vaccination and exemption coverage between school districts and between schools, and to see how rates have changed over the years. 

The dashboards and fact sheets demonstrate that across Colorado, vaccination coverage varies widely, as do exemption rates. (Parents can opt out of vaccinating their child by submitting a medical or nonmedical exemption to their child’s school or child care.) In fact, county-level exemption rates range from 0% to 37.5% across the state; nearly a third of the state’s counties have vaccine exemption rates equal to or higher than 5%. Additionally, over 70,000 Colorado K-12 students entered school in 2021 without protection from one or more vaccines.  

Over the years, these data tools have helped to increase education, communication, and coordination of efforts between local public health, school nurses and administrators, providers, families, and community members, and helped instigate collaboration on efforts to improve vaccination rates. 

Colorado law requires all students attending Colorado schools and licensed child care centers to be vaccinated against certain diseases like pertussis, measles, and chicken pox. School communities with higher vaccination rates (and lower exemption rates) provide a safe learning and working environment for students and staff and are less likely to experience an outbreak of vaccine-preventable disease. Having accurate data on vaccination in a school setting is also critical to emergency response efforts.  

About Immunize Colorado 

Immunize Colorado is a statewide, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is to protect Colorado families, schools, and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunize Colorado does not accept funding from vaccine manufacturers or distributors. To learn more, visit www.immunizecolorado.org and connect with Immunize Colorado on Facebook and Twitter. Media inquiries can be directed to Emily Clancy at Emily.Clancy@childrenscolorado.org.   

Immunize Colorado