Resource Library

Somali COVID-19 Vaccine Education Seminar Recording

This virtual presentation was held on April 1, 2021, and promoted to Somali community members in Colorado. In her talk, Dr. Anisa Ibrahim discusses COVID-19 vaccine information, the Colorado vaccine distribution plan, clinic information, and the importance of routine vaccines. Dr. Ibrahim also answered questions from the Somali community.

2021 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Report (April)

In 2019, healthcare charges to treat vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) like measles, flu and whooping cough in Colorado adults and children reached $1.1 billion. That was before COVID-19 emerged. The same year, vaccine-preventable diseases were the culprit in over 14,000 hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits in children, and over 20,000 in adults. That’s according to a new independent report jointly released by Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) and Immunize Colorado.

Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Vaccines Approved for Use in the U.S.

Many vaccines are currently being tested as a tool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact sheet explains the differences and similarities between the three vaccines approved for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. as of March 15, 2021: the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.

Vaccine Hesitancy: Implications for COVID-19 Vaccine

As the United States distributes COVID-19 vaccine, confidence and trust in its safety and benefit will be critical to ensure widespread acceptance, especially as the disease disproportionally burdens communities of color. This fact sheet provides an overview of vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. and Colorado, vaccine hesitancy specific to communities of color, and COVID-19 vaccine-specific hesitancy in these same communities, while providing recommendations for improving vaccine acceptance and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

CDC National Immunization Survey Data Updates (2017-2020)

Vaccination coverage in the US and Colorado remains mostly high and stable. However, for many vaccines, the US and Colorado fail to reach the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Healthy People (HP) 2030 targets, and Colorado falls below national averages for vaccine coverage. This report provides an overview of data from the National Immunization Survey (NIS), conducted annually by the CDC. It is important to note that in 2020, vaccination rates declined significantly, due in part to more limited healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic. This decline is not currently represented in this review.

Co-Parenting: A Guide to Vaccination Rights

This FAQ document answers common questions about vaccination decisions for children with divorced and co-parents, including which parents have rights to make vaccination decisions depending on custody. It also includes resources on the topic of vaccination rights for parents or health professionals that may have questions.

2020 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Report (Volume 2)

Prepared by pediatricians and researchers from the Department of Epidemiology at Children’s Colorado, the second installment of the 2020 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Report examines 2019 data on influenza in Colorado. The November report draws on Colorado Hospital Association inpatient and emergency department data to reveal the health and economic burden influenza puts on Colorado communities.

Fact Sheet: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Vaccination in the U.S. and Colorado

As COVID-19 disproportionately impacts communities of color, and as these same communities are increasingly targeted with misinformation about vaccine safety, it is evident that systemic racism continues to drive a serious public health crisis in Colorado and beyond. This fact sheet outlines disparities in vaccination rates between racial and ethnic groups, as well as COVID-19's disproportionate impact on communities of color, the social and systemic causes of vaccine disparities, barriers to accessing vaccination and the troubling trend of vaccine misinformation being targeted directly at communities of color.

Fact Sheet: Senate Bill 20-163 Is Law. Now What?

Senate Bill 20-163, which aims to keep Colorado communities protected from vaccine-preventable diseases through the modernization of school entry immunization requirements, was officially signed into law by Governor Polis on June 26, 2020 and will be implemented for the 2021-22 school year. Supported by the vast majority of Colorado voters, this policy solution is even more important now as our communities face the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new fact sheet developed by Immunize Colorado provides a summary of the new law, its implementation and what it will mean for parents, schools and child care centers, and healthcare providers.

Analysis: Non-Medical Exemption Policies in Colorado Child Care Centers

Immunization policies at child care centers help ensure children and the broader community, including those who can’t be vaccinated, are protected vaccine-preventable diseases. States, including Colorado, typically set immunization requirements for schools and child cares in statute, however child care facilities often have some control over how the policy is enacted at their site, including whether or not they accept non-medical exemptions (NMEs). Child care administrators often seek guidance for improving their immunization policies, but few Colorado-specific resources currently exist. To support Colorado child care administrators and policymakers in future immunization policy decision making, Immunize Colorado collected and analyzed vaccination policies from Colorado child care centers to determine policy completeness.