Infectious disease experts say many people are not taking the latest Covid-19 wave in the US seriously enough and are not getting vaccinated or using antiviral drugs when sick, despite a summer wave that was larger and came earlier than anticipated.
Epidemiologists are saying that while symptoms of this wave are more mild than earlier strains, the virus remains a threat – particularly for older adults and people with underlying health conditions.
Back-to-school season is an exciting time for parents, students, and school staff—full of possibilities and fresh opportunities. Unfortunately. the germs can say the same thing. Classrooms and daycares are a breeding ground for infectious illnesses which is why schools require certain vaccines. It’s a preventative measure to keep everyone safe but not everyone agrees with this. In America, all 50 states have vaccine requirements, but the specific details vary.
Here’s a look at vaccine requirements by state, exemptions, and the backlash against them.
The Novavax vaccine is one of three vaccines available in the U.S. for the prevention of COVID-19 and the only one that does not use the relatively new mRNA vaccine technology. It’s unique among the available coronavirus vaccines here in that it uses a traditional virus-blocking technology that’s been used against other diseases.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized an updated 2024-2025 Novavax vaccine in August 2024. The Novavax shot was authorized for everyone ages 12 and older a little more than a week after the FDA approved newly updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines for everyone ages 12 and older, and authorized them for children ages 6 months through 11 years.
New COVID-19 and flu vaccines are hitting the shelves in Colorado — just in time for back-to-school season.
Why it matters: Much of the country, including the Centennial State, has been hit by a COVID spike this summer.
Threat level: Recent wastewater surveillance data shows “very high” viral activity levels in Colorado, per the CDC.
Driving the news: The Food and Drug Administration approved new formulations of both Moderna and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, and the updated shots are now available at CVS, Walgreens and many other pharmacies and doctors’ offices.
New Covid-19 vaccines are hitting the shelves just as a summer surge infects people across the nation.
For most, the virus has become background noise, but as case counts rise alongside the back-to-school season, the potential for spread grows exponentially.
There are “high” or “very high” levels of Covid in the wastewater in nearly every state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least one estimate suggests that as much as 2.5 percent of the population is infected with Covid.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved two COVID-19 vaccines earlier than expected due to record-breaking surges of the virus. Instead of releasing them in the fall, following the pattern of previous coronavirus vaccine roll outs, they are available as early as this week. However, for some people, time is already running out to get the updated shots.
For the nearly 27 million adults who do not have health insurance, the new coronavirus vaccines will only be available for free until August 31. That’s because the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bridge Access Program, which provided free coronavirus vaccines to uninsured adults, will end. Over the last year, the program provided free vaccines for nearly 1.5 million people since it launched in September 2023. Without insurance, the vaccine can cost at least $115.
It’s August, which means that in addition to Colorado’s monsoon rains and flash floods, bins of school supplies are flooding the aisles of retail super centers and neighborhood grocers. The return to the classroom is an important time to remind parents to ensure their children are up to date on immunizations. After all, students, staff, and school faculty deserve a healthy environment – one that fosters well-being and supports learning. Vaccines are essential to the health of students! But getting kids on track for disease prevention with immunity starts well before kids hit the classroom; it starts at birth. Beyond childhood, it’s safe to say a majority of us would like to maintain our health well into our later years. No matter the life stage, vaccines are an essential component to a healthy life.
It’s appropriate then that in addition to back to school season, August is also National Immunization Awareness Month, or NIAM. NIAM is an observance that highlights the importance of immunization throughout the lifespan. Today’s Team Vaccine post looks at Colorado’s vaccine requirements for school attendance and why they’re essential in safeguarding students, along with how vaccines are a necessary tool to ensure our health from infancy and beyond.
Children’s immune systems – especially those of young children – are not fully developed. This means kids are more likely to catch and spread illness. Combined with that, schools are an opportune environment for the transmission of dangerous diseases; kids are in close contact, share objects regularly, and don’t always remember to cover coughs and sneezes. And because diseases like measles can spread rapidly, we need adequate vaccine uptake in schools. It’s also true that immunizations do more than protect the individuals who get them. They also prevent the spread of diseases to others. This includes people who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, may be too young to receive certain vaccines, or are immunocompromised.
Colorado, like all other states, requires students attending schools and licensed child cares to be vaccinated against certain diseases.
Child care-required vaccines include:
K-12 school-required vaccines include:
Note that the final dose of DTaP, IPV, MMR, and Varicella must be administered prior to kindergarten entry and Tdap must be administered prior to 6th grade entry. A single dose of Tdap is required for all 6th-12th grade students.
Additionally, college and university students in Colorado are required to be vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), and those living in student housing must have received a meningococcal ACWY vaccine within the 5 years prior to attendance.
While Colorado does have the option for parents to obtain exemptions to vaccinations, it is important to note that immunization rates are down both in Colorado and nationally and vaccine exemptions are up. This leaves our kids and our communities vulnerable to the diseases that vaccines prevent. We need robust immunization coverage to keep everyone safe!
There’s a saying in the immunization advocacy world: “Vaccines create adults.” Data supports this. The CDC estimates that for children born between 1994 and 2023, vaccines will prevent more than 500 million illnesses and more than 1 million deaths. While vaccines offer robust protection, the diseases they prevent haven’t gone anywhere. We can only ensure protection from them by maintaining widespread immunity through continued vaccination in every stage of life.
Childhood vaccinations: During infancy and through the early childhood years, children are most vulnerable to disease. Their immune systems are not fully developed and therefore not always strong enough to fight off diseases. They are, however, well-equipped to respond to multiple vaccines. The CDC’s routine childhood immunization schedule is determined by a panel of infectious disease experts. The schedule is designed to give children vaccines when their immune systems will best respond to them and before children are most likely to encounter disease. The schedule offers the greatest protection possible from 18 different diseases. Note that the list of Colorado school-required vaccines does not include all the vaccines on the CDC’s schedule. To be fully protected, your child will also need immunizations for flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rotavirus, hepatitis A, human papillomavirus (HPV), and COVID-19.
Adolescent vaccinations: Immunizations are also necessary in the tween and teen years. At this age, immunity from some early childhood vaccines wears off and the risk of other infections increases. Vaccines at this age can even help protect fertility. Starting around age 11, adolescents will need the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. This is also the age when their immune systems are most responsive to the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine, which protects against 6 types of cancer that could emerge later in life. (Note that kids can receive the HPV vaccine as early as age 9.) Also at age 11-12, they will need protection from meningococcal disease types ACW and Y with a MenACWY vaccine; they’ll need a booster at age 16. Also at age 16, teens should get the meningitis B vaccine, MenB. These vaccines protect against meningococcal disease which, while rare, can be deadly within hours. It’s also important for adolescents to stay up to date with the latest COVID-19 vaccines and receive an annual flu shot.
Adult vaccinations: Many people don’t realize it, but it’s important for adults to continue to get vaccinated, too. As we age, our immune systems naturally begin to decline and lose some of the strength and immunity they built in our younger years. Older adults are at increased risk of severe illness, making up a majority of hospitalizations and deaths from most vaccine-preventable diseases. Couple this with preexisting conditions like heart disease or diabetes and the risk is even greater. This is especially true for diseases like COVID-19, flu, and RSV. In addition to getting vaccines for those three diseases, adults should be vaccinated for pneumonia, hepatitis B, and shingles. Depending on vaccine history, age, and other risk factors, adults should also ask about vaccinations for mpox, varicella, HPV, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, and haemophilus influenzae type B. All adults should receive a Tdap booster every ten years to protect against tetanus, pertussis, and diphtheria.
In the school setting and throughout our entire lives, vaccines are imperative to protect both individual and community health! This National Immunization Awareness Month, as we share the importance of immunization, we urge you to check with your medical provider and ensure that you and your loved ones are up to date with recommended routine vaccines. This way, you’ll not only protect yourself, but everyone around you.
Immunize Colorado was formed in 1991 in response to alarmingly low vaccination rates across the state. At the time, only about 50% of Colorado’s children were adequately vaccinated. A group of physicians and other concerned individuals came together to strategize how to protect Coloradans from vaccine-preventable diseases and increase vaccine uptake. Much work remains. Discover ways to support our commitment to healthy Colorado communities at our website or make a donation today!
The FDA has approved an updated covid shot for everyone 6 months old and up, which renews a now-annual quandary for Americans: Get the shot now, with the latest covid outbreak sweeping the country, or hold it in reserve for the winter wave?
The new vaccine should provide some protection to everyone. But many healthy people who have already been vaccinated or have immunity because they’ve been exposed to covid enough times may want to wait a few months.
The federal government plans to relaunch its free COVID-19 home testing program at the end of September after suspending the program in March.
Why it matters: The Biden administration’s announcement Friday comes as the number of COVID infections grows in a summertime surge.
The big picture: U.S. households will be eligible to order four free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov when the program resumes, per a government website.
Whooping cough cases in Colorado have tripled so far this year, and schools are experiencing clusters of the preventable respiratory disease, according to the state health department.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Colorado had 333 cases of pertussis, the formal name for whooping cough, as of Aug. 3. At the same time last year, the state had 90 cases.
Nationwide, cases so far this year have more than tripled compared to last year, with the highest counts in Pennsylvania and New York.
