The sniffs and coughs you hear means respiratory season is in full swing, but the good news for a wary public after three years of the pandemic is that Colorado children are among the most protected in the nation, according to one study.
Sixty percent of Colorado children are vaccinated for both COVID-19 and influenza, an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data by QuoteWizard.com found.
Those childhood vaccination rates means Colorado was ranked No. 5 in the nation. Only Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia had better child vaccination rates for COVID-19 and flu.
Nationally, 43% of children are vaccinated for COVID-19 and 45% for flu, the study found.
Vaccination rates can differ significantly by age and location.
“I think you see it in a lot of states dominated by an urban center,” said Nick VinZant, a senior research analyst for QuoteWizard, an insurance comparison company.
For example, children 12-17 years were more likely to be vaccinated for COVID-19 than younger ones and those in the northeast and western parts of the country.
VinZant cautioned that the difference in vaccination rates for COVID-19 between those older and younger than 12 years of age could just be a function of when the vaccine was approved for those age groups.
The respiratory diseases circulating include COVID-19, flu and RSV, which came back with a vengeance this season, threatening to overwhelm health systems.
RSV — or Respiratory Syncytial Virus — is a common respiratory disease that can be serious for the very young and old.
All three are still circulating, although at lower levels than in the fall.
Typically, RSV and influenza peak in February.
The Denver region saw an influenza peak in late November, early December, said Dr. Brett Leggett, director of Inpatient Pediatrics at Denver Health Medical Center.
“We’re still seeing a high rate of influenza,” Leggett said.
Leggett added, “What we don’t know is if there’s going to be a second peak or not.”
