The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 12 years old or older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19. Children 12 years and older are able to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.The CDC recommends parents get a COVID-19 vaccine for their child as soon as they can.
Here is some other useful information from the CDC:
- COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
- COVID-19 vaccines have been used under the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history, which includes studies in adolescents.
- Your child will need a second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 3 weeks after their first shot.
- Your child can’t get COVID-19 from any COVID-19 vaccine, including the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
This information may be helpful for parents who have children that are attending schools that require all teachers, staff, and students, to be fully vaccinated. The New York Times reported that most 16- and 17-year-olds have been eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine since April of 2021. In May of 2021, children ages 12 to 15 became eligible for the Pfizer shot.
Children ages 5 – 11 have not yet been approved for COVID-19 vaccinations. The New York Times reported that Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease specialist, thinks emergency authorization could for COVID-19 vaccines for that age group could happen as soon as November 2021, or “toward the end of the fall, the beginning of winter”.
Vaccines for younger children, ages 6 months to 4 years old, aren’t expected until 2022.
According to The New York Times, the dosage of Pfizer vaccine authorized for 12-17-year-olds is identical to the dosage given to adults: two doses of 30 micrograms given three weeks apart. Children in the 5- to 11-year-old age group achieved an effective immune response with 10 micrograms of the vaccine per dose – a third of the does given to older children and adults.
Related Articles on Families.com:
CDC has a Plan for School Reopenings
Halloween Safety During COVID-19
CDC Recommends Kids 2 and Older Wear Cloth Face Masks