Time is running out to vaccinate children 12 and older against COVID before school year – CBS Denver

DENVER, Colorado (CBS4) – The window to fully immunize students before the fall school semester in Colorado is closing. Many pediatricians are urging parents of children aged 12 and over to get their children vaccinated now, as the Pfizer vaccine takes two doses and more than a month to fully function.

“The more people we can immunize, including children and adults, the less circulation of COVID we will see,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital. “We have a really contagious virus circulating there. “

O’Leary told CBS4’s Dillon Thomas that the Delta variant worried many medical professionals. The variant not only causes more people to become infected, but is also capable of causing some fully vaccinated people to develop mild symptoms.

“This delta variant is a lot more contagious than what we saw going around last fall,” O’Leary said.

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Only Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children 12 years of age and older. The second dose of the vaccine is given 21 days after the first. Then the vaccine does not become fully effective until two weeks after the second dose.

With many classrooms returning to learning by mid-August, now is the time to get your child immunized so they can be immunized before they return from school.

“About 44% of children ages 12 to 17 in Colorado have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” O’Leary said.

Children under 12 have not been approved to receive any of the current COVID-19 vaccines available to adults.

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O’Leary said parents whose children are not eligible to receive their vaccines should not be afraid to send their child to school. O’Leary said wearing masks and healthy habits should help them stay safe in school.

“(Students) around ten years old and younger seem both less likely to be infected and less likely to spread infection,” O’Leary said.

Studies have shown that the original strain of the COVID-19 virus did not spread as easily in schools. However, it spread in the community, and then the children introduced the virus into the buildings. O’Leary said this fact should encourage people of all ages to get vaccinated if they are qualified.

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“That’s why I really stress the importance of everyone getting vaccinated, so that we can keep the school open,” O’Leary said.

Doctors are encouraging parents to also make sure their students are up to date with their routine vaccinations while getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Many have fallen behind in their routine vaccines because the pandemic has kept them at home for so long.