COMMUNITY LEADERS

Got questions about vaccinating your 5 – 11 year-old child? Get answers.

Are COVID-19 vaccines safe for children ages 5 through 11 years?

Yes. The vaccines are safe for children in this age group.

• Tens of millions of children and teens ages 5 through 17 years have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Through continued safety monitoring, COVID-19 vaccination has been found safe for children and teens.

Learn more about vaccine safety here.

What are some possible side effects a child can get after vaccination?

Possible side effects among children after COVID-19 vaccination may include:

• Soreness at the injection site
• Headaches
• Muscle aches
• Low-grade fevers

These side effects may affect your child’s ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Some children have no side effects.

The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks of getting COVID-19 disease.

How does COVID-19 vaccine dosage work for children? Is there a difference between the adult/teen and the children 5-11 vaccines?

Unlike many medications, COVID-19 vaccine dosage does not vary by patient weight but by age on the day of vaccination. This is also true for other routinely recommended vaccines, like flu or hepatitis vaccines.

However, the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 has the same active ingredients as the vaccines given to adults and teens. But, the vaccine for children comes in a different vial with a different color cap to easily separate it from the adult/teen one.

Like adults and teens, children will need a second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at least three weeks after their first shot.

What happens if a child has a severe reaction after vaccination?

If a child experiences a severe allergic reaction, vaccine providers can quickly treat it and call for emergency medical services if needed.

How will vaccine safety be monitored in this age group?

COVID-19 vaccines have undergone – and will continue to undergo – the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. CDC and FDA are using new and established safety monitoring systems. Parents and caregivers can register and enroll their child in v-safe, a free and easy-to-use smartphone-based app. V-safe allows them to report how their child feels days and weeks after vaccination. Additionally, patients, caregivers, and vaccine providers can report serious health events occurring after vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System(VAERS). CDC and FDA review VAERS data to identify potential safety concerns.