Children as young as 6 months old now can get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. Here are answers to questions parents might have about vaccines for kids ages 6 months to 5 years old.
Yes. Even though young children often have a milder illness if they get sick with COVID-19, some develop more serious symptoms and need treatment in a hospital. Some children have died from COVID-19. Rarely, kids who had no symptoms or mild symptoms develop symptoms later that can last a long time, a condition known as long (or long-haul) COVID. The COVID vaccines are proven to prevent long COVID, serious illness, hospitalizations, and death, including in young children.
Booster shots are recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older to “boost” the protection given by the vaccine. The type of booster shot they get and when it's given after the primary series may differ depending on a child’s age and health status. As time goes on, people might need additional booster shots. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about the different types of booster shots and when your child might be eligible for one.
Yes. A vaccine goes through intensive testing before people can get it. Thousands of children under age 5 participated in studies that showed that the vaccine is just as safe in young children as it is in older kids and adults.
COVID-19 vaccine side effects in babies and young children are similar to those from other routine childhood vaccines and to the COVID-19 shots that older kids and adults get. They can include a sore arm, a fever, lack of appetite, or tiredness for a day or two. Older kids might have body aches and headaches. These are signs that their immune system is responding to the vaccine and building immunity to the virus. They're not a cause for concern.
Kids should get whichever vaccine is most readily available. While the two vaccines differ in dosage and the number of shots a child will get, both are safe and effective and equally recommended by health experts. Talk to your child’s doctor if you have questions about the different vaccines.
Yes. As with older kids, younger kids can get the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time (or just before or after) any other routine vaccine, including the flu vaccine.
Yes, young children can and should get a vaccine even if they have had COVID-19. There are no known risks to getting the vaccine after being infected. Because we don't know how long a person's immunity will last after an infection, it's important to get the vaccine too.
No, don't delay the vaccine. Even though antibodies pass from a mother to her baby during pregnancy and through breastfeeding, experts are studying whether and how much this protects a baby from COVID-19. Until more is known, babies should get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are old enough.
Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date Reviewed: Dec 18, 2022
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