Colorado health department to begin texting parents whose children need COVID vaccine

DENVER (KKTV) - Effective now, parents of elementary school-aged children can expect a text message from the Colorado health department if their kids are due for COVID vaccine.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced Friday it would be texting and emailing parents of kids 5-11 years old.

“While children are at a lower risk of severe COVID-19, they can still get sick and have serious and long-lasting symptoms,” CDPHE said in news release. “The COVID-19 vaccine is the protection against severe infection and can help children stay healthy while protecting their loved ones and communities. COVID-19 vaccines are free. Parents and guardians are entitled to paid time off from work while they take their children to get vaccinated.

Texts and emails will go out to those families whose records indicate their children are behind on the vaccine. Additionally, the health department has compiled a list of more than 2,000 vaccine providers across the state, as well as a “Class-to-Clinic” locator showing the closest vaccine providers to the state’s roughly 2,300 K-12 schools. Those resources can be found by clicking here and here.

“Parents and guardians should talk with their child’s health care provider about any questions they may have about COVID-19 vaccines,” CDPHE said. “COVID-19 vaccines can safely be given at the time of other routine childhood vaccinations. For more information, visit CDPHE’s Where can my child get vaccinated? page on covid19.colorado.gov.”