Children between the ages of 12 and 15 were eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.Shots must start locally by the weekend

Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 4 pm and contains information about the Pfizer Vaccine Clinic at the UC Health Yampa Valley Medical Center.

Children aged 12 to 15 will be able to start receiving Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by the weekend in Laut County after federal health officials extended the emergency use authorization for shots to include younger children on Wednesday. Become.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an extension of the shots on Monday after the company provided data showing that the vaccine was found to be 100% effective in a limited trial.

Of the 1,005 vaccinated study participants, 16 were in the placebo group of 978 children, not just one, according to the FDA. Analysis of the immune response to the vaccine in children was “not inferior” or as good as the response aged 16-25 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granted approval for extended eligibility after the Immunization Implementation Advisory Board unanimously approved the move on Wednesday.

Dr. Dana Fitzgerald, a pediatrician at Steamboat Springs Pediatrics, said: “This is a way to get our lives back to normal and I really feel that this is a safe vaccine.”

Of the three vaccines available in the United States, only Pfizer Shot is approved for people under the age of 18. In December, Pfizer’s vaccine was approved for everyone over the age of 16. Both Pfizer and Moderna, which makes other two-shot vaccines, are currently in clinical trials in people as young as six months.

More than half of all doses given in Colorado (about 2.5 million) were Pfizer vaccines.

Pfizer is currently UC Health Yampa Valley Medical Center And Safeway in-store pharmacy. The next first dose clinic at the hospital will be on Tuesday, May 18th, with a walk-in from 8am to 11am in addition to appointments. Another first dose clinic is scheduled for May 26th. People under the age of 18 need parental consent to obtain the vaccine.

Roberta Smith, director of public health at Routt County, said Monday that the county is working to get some of Pfizer’s shots.

“The school is still teaching in Routt County for a few weeks, so with all these approvals, it might be a good time to start it here in early summer,” Smith said.

According to Smith, the new age guidelines will extend the eligibility to approximately 1,400 children in Routt County. This will reduce the proportion of people in the vaccinated county as more people will be targeted. As of Wednesday, more than half of all Routt County residents have been fully vaccinated.

Dr. Steve Ross, a pediatrician at Steamboat’s Sleeping Bear Pediatrics, said he expects the Moderna vaccine to get similar approval within about a month. According to Ross, state officials are now beginning to allow pediatricians to vaccinate and hope that Pfizer injections will be available in two to four weeks in his practice.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of mental health illness,” Ross said of the children. “The isolation from the pandemic was so bad that we want these children to be vaccinated safely as soon as possible.”

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last week, about 29% of parents say their children will be vaccinated as soon as possible, and another 32% will wait to see how it works first. I like it. About 19% of parents said they would never vaccinate their children, and another 15% said they would only vaccinate their children when requested by the school.

All states, including Colorado, have school vaccination requirements, but they only include vaccines that are fully approved by the FDA. All three COVID-19 vaccines are approved for emergency use only, but companies are seeking full approval, which could occur later this summer.

“Everyone is wondering about side effects,” Fitzgerald said. “Low-grade fever, chills, body aches, and headaches can last for two days, but there are certainly other teenagers who appear to be completely unaffected by the vaccine.”

With FDA approval on Monday, the FDA said the side effects seen in study participants were consistent with those seen in adults. Pfizer vaccine should not be given to people with a history of severe reactions to any of the components of the vaccine. Ross suggests that anyone with a medical history should consult a doctor before firing.

By the end of the summer, Ross said he believes that the vaccine will be available to everyone over the age of two.

“This is a very well scrutinized vaccine. Pfizer has the highest standards of evaluation,” Ross said.

To contact Dylan Anderson, call 970-871-4247 or send an email [email protected]..