Vaccines for kids, Latinos discussed

Health officials urge those eligible for COVID-19 shots to get it

Now that kids are back in school, Boulder County health officials are urging that everyone eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination get the shot to protect themselves, their kids and prevent the spread of the virus.

“Obviously all of us would like to get back to normal and so having more people, including our children vaccinated, will help us get back to being able to have bigger family gatherings and celebrate holidays,” said Dr. Megan Adamson, a medical provider in the area.

To reach a broader audience, BCPH health had a virtual town hall geared toward Latino families in Boulder County on Wednesday evening. The event was in Spanish and relayed the same information presented during last week’s town hall.

During the conversation, Christopher Urbina, BCPH medical officer, said Boulder County is seeing the highest rate of cases among

people ages zero to nine, 23 to 34 and 35 to 44.

By Aug. 9, cases among kids zero to nine years old spiked to 140 cases during a seven-day period, while cases for people 23 to 34 rose to about 142 cases during a seven-day period. Cases among people 34 to 44 had the highest increase about 165 during a sevenday span.

“That is very worrisome,” he said. “We are not out of the woods yet. We are seeing a significant rise in cases.”

Adamson said to stem the rising cases and ensure kids and families are safe, vaccinations are important for anyone 12 or older.

She said about 2% of kids infected with COVD-19 end up in the hospital.

“We want to prevent especially those very severe infections, but even just the inconvenience of getting a viral illness is helpful to prevent,” she said. “There are also some kids that have some complications whether they have a mild infection or a more serious infection. The second main reason for kids to be vaccinated, is that even if they don’t have a serious infection, they can pass it on to others.”

As Boulder County works to increase its number of vaccinations among residents eligible for the vaccine — people 12 and older — it is also hoping to see a rise in vaccinations among the Latino community.

The Latino community has the lowest rate of COVID-19 vaccinations, said BCPH spokesperson Angela Simental.

According to BCPH data, 65% of white people 12 to 19 years old have received at least partial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of that same age group, 42% of Latinos have received at least partial dose of the shot.

Two reasons for the gap in vaccination rates includes religious beliefs and access to vaccine clinics, Simental.

“It could be that they don’t have time to go to a clinic, so we have expanded our clinics to be during the weekend and after work so people can go to those clinics,” Simental said. “There might be some hesitancy but there also might be some barriers. The vaccine is free, it’s effective.”

Clinic hours and locations can be found at bouldercounty. org/ families/ disease/covid-19/ vaccines.