Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to get a vaccine deployed to children under 5, criticizing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its “lack of action and urgency.”  

In his letter, Polis noted that Colorado is home to a quarter-million children under 5 who remain at risk of contracting the virus. The FDA authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 5 through 11 in October last year.  

“I write today to request your assistance in escalating the urgency for emergency consideration of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years of age,” the governor wrote. “Ensuring the vaccine is accessible for families with children under 5 will help keep our kids in the classroom, give parents more peace of mind, and help put the pandemic behind us.”

Polis said Coloradans are making plans to see their family members, but for the third summer in a row, the youngest children don’t have the protection of a vaccine.  

“Many parents of young children feel left behind, and are rightfully displeased that the FDA’s lack of action and urgency has left them unable to protect their children and loved ones like everyone else,” Polis wrote.