By Amy Harris
The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationand the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently approved two pediatric COVID-19 vaccines. The Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is for children ages 6 months to less than 5 years and is given in three separate doses. The Moderna vaccine is for children six months to less than 6 years old and is given in two separate doses. Scientists are still determining if infants and children will require a booster dose. Even if a child has already had COVID-19, they still need the complete COVID-19 pediatric vaccination for protection from infection.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children and adolescents older than 6 months because there is no way to predict the impact of this infection on young children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children and adolescents older than 6 months because there is no way to predict the impact of this infection on young children. If infected, children under age 5 are more likely to need hospitalization when compared to children ages 5-11. Reasons to vaccinate your young child include avoiding severe illness or hospitalization, preventing long COVID and other long-term health consequences, reducing missed days of school and work, and stopping the spread of the virus to other family and community members.
Pediatricians recommend scheduling your young child’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment as soon as possible. Then, they will be protected when they return indoors in colder months. Your child may still get COVID-19, even if they receive the recommended doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. However, being vaccinated will keep them healthier if they get infected, less likely to need hospitalization, and less able to spread COVID-19 to the rest of your family.
You can schedule your child’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment with their primary care provider. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccines are also available at some drug stores and grocery stores around the state. The Maine Office of the Governor website lists vaccination sites where pediatric vaccines are available: www.maine.gov/covid19/vaccines/vaccination-sites.
The Moderna and Pfizer clinical vaccine trials included thousands of children ages 6 months to 2 years, and thousands of children ages 2 to 5. There was no evidence of any increased risk of harmful or long-lasting side effects of the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine in these safety trials.
COVID-19 vaccines are available for everyone ages 6 months and older at no cost. Vaccines are free of charge for all people living in the U.S., regardless of health insurance or immigration status. If anyone asks you to pay for access to a COVID-19 vaccine, it’s a scam. Don’t share your personal or financial information if someone calls, texts, or emails you promising access to a vaccine for an extra fee.
The Moderna and Pfizer clinical vaccine trials included thousands of children ages 6 months to 2 years, and thousands of children ages 2 to 5. There was no evidence of any increased risk of harmful or long-lasting side effects of the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine in these safety trials. The reported side effects in this age group are similar to those seen in other age groups – pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, fever, chills, muscle pain, or joint pain. These side effects show that your child’s immune system is responding to the vaccine and building up its defenses against the virus. And these side effects pass quickly.
Vaccinating your young children (and encouraging families in your community to vaccinate) is the best tool we have to keep everyone healthy, from the youngest to the oldest.
