Pediatric COVID Vaccine FAQs & Information

Yes, COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use authorization (EUA) in the United States are safe. The vaccines go through the same testing and clinical trials as all vaccines and no serious safety concerns have been identified.

No. The Pfizer vaccine dose for 6-months to 4-year-olds is 3 micrograms, a tenth of the dose advised for people 12 and older. The Moderna vaccine for 6 months to 5 years is a 25-microgram dose, a quarter of the adult dosage.

While most children are at lower risk for severe illness from COVID-19, there are still many unknown long-term effects. While uncommon, it is also possible for children infected with COVID-19 to become seriously ill or worse. Vaccination also allows for safe return to activities and normal life. Vaccination will:

• Prevent the risk of serious illness including Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
• Eliminate the need to quarantine if your child is exposed to COVID-19 at school or elsewhere
• Keep your child from missing sporting events or extracurricular activities after exposure
• Prevent long-term effects of COVID-19
• Avoid passing COVID-19 infection to family members and others at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19

No.

Billions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given worldwide. Tens of millions of children ages 5 through 17 have received the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine is no longer "new." Scientists and pediatricians feel confident in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine and the booster. Waiting puts children at higher risk for infection and illness.

The vaccine and booster got to us fast because:

• The vaccine research for mRNA started in 1961 and, in the last decade specifically, was focused on SARS.
• The vaccine was released more quickly than other vaccines because the production started before the clinical trials. This was due to the pandemic, which provided funding and resources to make that happen.

Yes.

Children are protected best from COVID-19 and severe illness from it when they are up to date with their vaccination, including the booster. Vaccination can help protect them from severe sickness, hospitalization and death. The effectiveness of primary series vaccination may lessen over time. A booster dose helps boost protection against COVID-19.

After getting COVID-19, children can experience a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems. Staying up to date with vaccination can help prevent them from getting really sick even if they do get infected and can help prevent serious short- and long-term complications of COVID-19.

We don't know yet. A determination about annual booster shots depends on how many people get vaccinated and if the virus continues to spread and change. As more of the population becomes vaccinated, we reduce the spread of the virus, which helps to prevent it from changing. We won't need additional boostes if we are reducing and eliminating variants of COVID-19.

Yes. The impact of COVID-19 disease in kids can range from no symptoms to severe illness.

• Millions of COVID-19 pediatric cases have been reported
• As of February 2022, more than 60% of American children 17 and under have had COVID
• The multi-organ system impact of COVID can make children extremely ill and can require hospitalization, often in the intensive care unit (ICU).
• 30% of kids who were hospitalized for COVID-19 had no underlying medical conditions and 19% were admitted to the ICU.* 
• During the Omicron variant surge, unvaccinated children ages 5-11 were twice as likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than those who were vaccinated*
• After COVID infection, “long COVID”, or lingering COVID-19 symptoms, can lead to learning problems, heart problems, exercise fatigue with sports, and respiratory issues.
• Since the pandemic began, about 700 pediatric deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported. It is now a top 10 cause of death for kids in the United States. 

Source: Hospitalizations of Children Aged 5–11 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 — COVID-NET, 14 States, March 2020–February 2022 | MMWR (cdc.gov)

Put simply, it's mostly fat, salt, electrolytes and sugar.

• Lipids: This "fatty layer" protects the delicate mRNA so it has time to work before getting chopped up by the body. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), the most famous lipid, is also the main ingredient in MiraLAX (which you know about if your child has ever been constipated).
• Potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, and dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate and sucrose: These fancy names are just salt, some electrolytes, and sugar. These ingredients help keep the vaccine stable and are natural preservatives.

Clinical trials show COVID-19 vaccines are very effective in children ages 12-15. In fact, data shows the immune response for children was better than trial participants ages 16-25, with no COVID cases in the vaccinated group.

They can vary but are minimal.

• Side effects that have been reported are mild to moderate and can include fever, fatigue, headache, chills, diarrhea, or muscle aches
• More kids reported side effects with the second dose compared to the first dose.
• Rare side effects can happen, such as swollen lymph nodes or skin sensitivity, but these are not long-term and resolved in most cases in a few days.

How do we know about long-term side effects?

Based on our knowledge of mRNA and the human body, we don't expect long-term side effects since it breaks down in the body in 72 hours.

• As with all vaccines, including the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, all concerning side effects have occurred within 6-8 weeks after injection. Vaccine development is based on decades of research. Scientists have performed a rigorous review of all available data before approving it for children. Our scientific understanding tells us that, if there are no serious side effects noted in those first few weeks, we can be confident that concerns that arise with any patient decades later are unlikely to be related to any vaccine.
• mRNA cannot be converted to or inserted into DNA. It's not scientifically possible.

Yes

• We know that "natural immunity" can be significant at first. However, protection can drop off quickly or change based on circulating variants.
• Getting a vaccine, even for those who have already had COVID-19, strengthens your immune response.
• Adolescents who have had this rare side effect are monitored closely. Most make a full recovery in 3-4 weeks by using anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen.
• A booster dose, received five months after the primary series vaccination, can help protect against severe illness from COVID-19 after the effectiveness of the primary series lessens.
• If you had COVID-19 once, it is possible to get ill from a different strain in the future. Evidence shows the vaccines protect you longer from reinfection than does a previous infection.
• Most importantly, the vaccine and booster dose give protection and prevent hospitalization against several of the COVID variants.

For the Pfizer vaccine, 12- to 15-year-olds will receive the same dosing as adults. Clinical trials tested the adult dose and two smaller doses to determine safety and efficacy. This dose was proven safe and shown to be most effective for this age group.

No. We are confident that the COVID-19 vaccine will not have long-term effects on puberty or fertility. The mRNA in the vaccine cannot integrate with DNA that is the blueprint for our growth.

• Vaccine ingredients are cleared from the body quickly. mRNA is fragile and breaks down within 72 hours after injection. Ingredients do not linger in the body.
• Thousands upon thousands have gotten pregnant after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
• The mRNA vaccine is not made up of COVID-19. It contains only the viral protein.
• There are reports of menstrual cycle changes after the COVID-19 vaccine. This is due to the body mounting an immune response and is a temporary side effect, like a fever.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. This can happen due to the robust immune response the vaccine can have on your body.

• It is a very rare side effect. We expect 26 cases of myocarditis per 1 million doses given. That's a 0.0026% risk.
• The most common symptom of myocarditis is chest pain or difficulty breathing and usually happens within the first week after injection.
• Adolescents who have had this rare side effect are monitored closely. Most make a full recovery in 3-4 weeks by using anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen.
• No kids have died of myocarditis after the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Myocarditis can also happen if you get the actual COVID-19 virus. In those cases, unfortunately, the myocarditis is more common, more severe, and more likely to lead to long-term complications. According to research from the CDC, patients with COVID-19 had nearly 16 times the risk for myocarditis compared with those who did not have COVID-19.

Yes.

• This pandemic has been traumatizing, especially for children. Their lives were abruptly disrupted in March 2020, and their mental and physical health has suffered. Anxiety and depression rates are up.
• Based on the the state/county current guidelines, students who are vaccinated and exposed to COVID-19 can remain in school and wear a mask.
• Staying up to date with vaccination including the booster provides the best level of protection against COVID-19
• We know that less quarantining will benefit all children.

It will be up to each state's government to decide whether a COVID-19 vaccine is required for school entry. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. have announced they will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Yes. Canada's health department authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 12 to 15 years of age on May 5, 2021.