What you need to know
- COVID-19 is a leading cause of death in children, yet only about 12 percent of kids ages 6 months to 4 years have received a vaccine dose.
- Both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s bivalent boosters are now authorized by the FDA for kids as young as 6 months.
- It’s clear that the risks of COVID-19 infection outweigh the risk of having an adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccination.
Last week, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s Omicron booster for kids as young as 6 months old. It’s true that infants and young kids are less likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19 compared to adults, but the virus is actually a leading cause of death in young ones. Here’s why it’s important to keep your kid up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, even when transmission may not be high.
Why is it important for my kid to be up to date on COVID-19 vaccines?
COVID-19 is a leading cause of death in children. Compared to other infectious or respiratory diseases, COVID-19 ranks as the number one cause of death among kids, outranking the flu and pneumonia. COVID-19 is also far deadlier than many other vaccine-preventable diseases that affect children, including rubella, mumps, chickenpox, tetanus, and measles. Yet only about 12 percent of kids ages 6 months to 4 years have received at least one dose of their primary COVID-19 vaccine series.
COVID-19 vaccines help prevent infection, hospitalization, severe illness, and death from the virus for all age groups, infants and young kids included. Bivalent boosters target newer Omicron strains, helping us stay protected as immunity wanes.
My kid received Pfizer’s primary vaccine series. Should they get a bivalent booster?
The FDA recently authorized Pfizer’s updated booster for kids under 5 years old, but it won’t be available until the CDC issues its recommendation, which should come soon. If the CDC approves, kids ages 6 months to 4 years who completed their three-dose Pfizer primary series two months ago will be able to get a Pfizer bivalent booster. The one exception is if your kid already received Pfizer’s bivalent vaccine for the third shot of their primary series. If that’s the case, they should still be protected against severe COVID-19 and are not eligible for another bivalent booster yet.
If your kid is 5 years or older, they can get any bivalent booster two months after completing their primary series or after receiving their last original COVID-19 booster.
My kid received Moderna’s primary vaccine series. Should they get a bivalent booster?
Yes. If your kid is aged 6 months to 5 years and completed their two-dose Moderna primary series at least two months ago, they can get a Moderna bivalent booster. If your kid is older than 5 years, they can get any bivalent booster two months after completing their primary series or after receiving their last original COVID-19 booster.
Are there any risks to getting my kid vaccinated?
Common side effects for infants and young kids after COVID-19 vaccination include pain where the shot was given, swollen lymph nodes, irritability or crying, sleepiness, and loss of appetite. These side effects usually go away in a few days. Serious health problems that arise from COVID-19 vaccination, such as myocarditis, seizures, and severe allergic reactions, are rare.
It’s important to know that our COVID-19 vaccines went through clinical trials involving thousands of children and teens before being authorized and approved. The vaccines continue to be closely monitored by health agencies for safety alerts. It’s understandable for parents to be worried about any risk of health problems for their kids, no matter how mild or rare. But it’s clear that the risks of COVID-19 infection outweigh the risk of having an adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccination.