Stay Up To Date On Seasonal Vaccines This Fall and Winter

State health officials urge Coloradans to protect themselves, their loved ones, and our communities this fall and winter by getting lifesaving seasonal vaccines. Anyone aged 6 months and older can get an annual flu vaccine, as well as an updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine. The best time to get both vaccines is now, ideally before the end of October. Coloradans can find COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines across the state at local public health clinics, primary care offices, and many pharmacies.

Starting this week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will send text and email reminders to the parents/guardians of 274,000 Coloradans aged 6 months through 5 years whose records in the Colorado Immunization Information System show they may be due for their annual flu vaccine.

The text messages will come from 45778 and read:

From CDPHE: State public health records show your child/children may be due for their annual flu vaccine. Vaccination is the most effective tool for preventing illnesses caused by flu. Contact a vaccine provider today! For locations near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/

Emails will come from cdphe.vaccine.registry@state.co.us and read:

Dear parent(s) or guardian(s), Colorado Immunization Information System records indicate that your child/children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years may be due for their annual flu vaccine. Flu vaccination is important for children aged 5 years and younger who are at high risk of having serious complications if they get sick with the flu.

Protect your child/children against the flu by contacting a health care provider, a local public health agency, or a local pharmacy to make a vaccine appointment today. For locations near you, visit https://fluvaxcolorado.org/ and click “Find a Provider.”

If your child/children have already received their flu vaccine, let us know about it! You can update their record in the Colorado Immunization Information System by completing this secure Google form. **Please note you may need to submit multiple request forms for three or more children.

Similar to the seasonal flu vaccine, most people should now get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves against the variants of the virus currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States. Just like the virus continues to evolve, so must the vaccine. It’s safe to get COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same appointment.

“Getting your annual flu and updated COVID-19 vaccine remains one of the best ways to protect yourself from serious illness and complications from influenza and COVID-19. It can reduce your chance of developing Long COVID as well,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. “As we start spending more time indoors and gathering with loved ones over the holidays this fall and winter, it’s crucial to make sure our immunity is the best it can be.”

If you’ve never been vaccinated against COVID-19, you can receive an updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine at any time. If you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the past, you can get your updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine as long as it’s been at least two months since your most recent COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Coloradans can get COVID-19 and flu vaccines for low or no cost through their health insurance or a federal vaccine program. Most insurance plans cover both vaccines with no copay or coinsurance. If you have health insurance, ask your regular health care provider or local pharmacy if they have COVID-19 and flu vaccines and if they accept your insurance. If your health insurance plan does not cover these vaccines completely at no cost to you, you are considered underinsured. Underinsured and uninsured Coloradans can go to a provider enrolled in a federal vaccine access program to get vaccinated at low or no cost.

Vaccines for Children providers have low or no cost vaccines for uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible or Alaskan Native/American Indian children aged 18 years and younger. Children who are underinsured can get low or no cost vaccines at their local public health agency, federally qualified health center, or rural health center.

Bridge Access Program providers have low and no cost updated COVID-19 vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults aged 18 years and older. This includes most local public health agencies, federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, and safety net clinics as well as Walgreens and CVS pharmacy locations across the state.

Low-cost flu vaccine providers, as well as additional information on flu vaccines, can be found at fluvaxcolorado.org.

Colorado law prevents providers from denying you a publicly funded vaccine even if you don’t have insurance, a government-issued ID, a social security number, or can’t pay a fee. Learn more about your right to get a publicly funded vaccine at low or no cost. You must still meet certain requirements to qualify for a publicly funded vaccine.

Recently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended three new immunizations to prevent severe illness caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Recommendations include vaccination of adults ages 60 and older, young infants, and those who are pregnant. Talk with your health care provider about your or your child’s risk for severe RSV disease and potential benefits of immunization, as well as if your insurance currently covers it.

In addition to getting vaccinated, Coloradans can protect their loved ones, the community, and our health care system by:

Staying home when sick. Avoid visiting or interacting with people who may be at higher risk, including older adults, young children, and infants. What might feel like a mild cold for one person can be very serious for another person.
Getting tested. Most Coloradans can get tested for COVID-19 through their health care provider or a local pharmacy. Coloradans can also find free or low-cost tests at community testing sites, participating retail pharmacies, or order them online from the federal government.
Washing hands regularly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Also, avoid touching your face with unclean hands.
Talking with a health care provider about whether you might benefit from COVID-19 or flu medicine if you do become ill. If started early, COVID-19 medicine like Paxlovid and remdesivir can prevent you from getting seriously ill. For flu, antiviral medications, like tamiflu, may be recommended in some cases, especially for people who are at higher risk of serious complications.

For more information about COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and treatments, visit our website cdphe.colorado.gov/covid-19 .

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) monitors respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV, statewide. Since early August, Colorado has seen an increase in COVID-19, similar to the country overall, as seen in our hospitalizations. Thankfully, however, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 remain low. Hospitalizations for flu and RSV typically start to increase in October and can peak anytime between then and February before dropping off in the spring. To stay informed, visit the department’s data dashboard. The department’s Colorado Viral Respiratory Diseases Data Dashboard, which tracks flu and RSV numbers in the state, starts October 11 and is updated weekly on Wednesdays by 4 p.m.