COVID-19 Updates

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Image Description: "The Vaccine is Free. Separate from the actual vaccine, your medical provider can charge an administrative fee of about $23 that will be covered by insurance. Your information is confidential and your data is not shared.

FAQS about COVID19 Vaccines in children age 12 years and older in BoCo

Question (s)

Where can I get my kids vaccinated? Do I need an appointment? How much does it cost?

Children 12 years and older are now able to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from different types of providers: traditional longstanding vaccination clinics hosted by healthcare providers such as Boulder Community Health, SCL, Kaiser, etc. Also, many pharmacies, supermarkets, and some short-term clinics are offering this vaccine in Boulder County. To see a list of providers offering the Pfizer vaccine near you, visit https://www.bouldercounty.org/families/disease/covid-19/vaccines/ You can find in this list, which providers require a previous appointment and which ones are open to walk-ins.

The COVID-19 vaccine is FREE. COVID-19 vaccination providers cannot:

• Charge you for the vaccine.

• Charge you any administration fees, copays, coinsurance, or the balance of the bill after appropriate reimbursement.

• Deny vaccination to anyone who does not have health insurance coverage, is underinsured, or is out of network.

• Charge an office visit or other fee to the recipient if the only service provided is a COVID-19 vaccination.

• Require additional services in order for a person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine; however, additional healthcare services can be provided at the same time and billed as appropriate.

Question (s)

What are the potential side effects for my 13 and 14-year-old child if they received the vaccine?

Your child may have some side effects, which are normal signs that their body is building protection. The most common side effects are pain on the injection site, fatigue, and headache. They may also experience redness and swelling on the injection site, and symptoms throughout the rest of the body such as tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea. Most of these symptoms are mild to moderate in severity, occur within the first three days of vaccination, and resolve within 1–2 days of onset. Ask your child’s healthcare provider for advice on using a non-aspirin pain reliever and other steps you can take at home to comfort your child. It is not recommended you give pain relievers before vaccination for the purpose of trying to prevent side effects.

Question (s):

I have a 16yr old who doesn’t want to get the vaccine. What are the risks for my teen if she doesn’t want to get the vaccine?

And If everyone in my family already received the vaccine but my 2 teenagers don’t have it, who is most at risk?

Compared to vaccinated people, unvaccinated children are at a higher risk of becoming infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, get sick from COVID-19, and spread COVID-19 to others. Most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all. However, some children can get severely ill from COVID-19. The multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but serious condition that has been observed in kids with COVID -19. In kids with MIS-C, different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, we know that many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19. MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care.

Having certain underlying conditions might increase the risk for severe illness in children. As more information becomes available, CDC will continue to update and share information about risk for severe illness among children. Regardless of age, kids with the following underlying medical conditions might also be at increased risk of severe illness compared to other children:

• Asthma or chronic lung disease

• Diabetes

• Genetic, neurologic, or metabolic conditions

• Sickle cell disease

• Heart disease since birth

• Immunosuppression (weakened immune system due to certain medical conditions or being on medications that weaken the immune system)

• Medical complexity (children with multiple chronic conditions that affect many parts of the body, or are dependent on technology and other significant supports for daily life)

• Obesity

This is why the CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic.

A very important consideration when deciding to get the COVID-19 vaccine is that people who are fully vaccinated can resume activities that they did prior to the pandemic. For a complete list of the great advantages in terms of activities that are safer to do once you have been Fully Vaccinated visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

Question (s)

Is my 3-year-old safe from getting COVID and when can I expect to have the vaccine available for my child?

When will the children younger than 12 will be eligible to receive the COVDI19 vaccine?

While fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others. Children, like adults, who have COVID-19 but have no symptoms (“asymptomatic”) can still spread the virus to others.

It is difficult to tell when the vaccines will be authorized for use in kids younger than 12 years. The testing has begun in children 6 months to age 12. Before asking for authorization, the clinical trials need to need to answer questions such as the appropriate dose, safety, and immune response to the vaccine among the kids participating in these studies. Once collected, this information will be reviewed by the FDA very carefully to decide if the vaccine can receive the authorization.

Question (s)

Can my child receive the COVID-19 vaccine and the other vaccines that she is needs at the same time?

Yes. Your child may get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines during the same visit when available at your primary care provider’s office, without waiting 14 days between vaccines.