CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., today accepted the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that all children aged 6 months to 5 years get the COVID-19 vaccination.
This brings the total number of children eligible for immunization to about 20 million, bringing the total to all Americans aged 6 months and up.
Parents and caregivers can now get their children aged 6 months to 5 years old immunized against COVID-19 using the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. Vaccination is recommended for all children, including those who have already had COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccinations have been subjected to the most stringent safety testing in US history, and this will continue.
Parents and caregivers can help monitor the safety of these vaccines by enrolling their children in v-safe, which provides personalized and confidential health check-ins via text messages and web surveys, allowing them to easily share how their child feels after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine with the CDC.
Pediatric vaccinations for these younger children have begun to be distributed around the country, and will be accessible this week at hundreds of pediatric practices, pharmacies, FQHCs, municipal health departments, clinics, and other venues.
Children in this age group can be immunized with any vaccine that is now available (either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech).
To find out where immunizations for children are available, parents can contact their doctor, nurse, local pharmacy, or health department, or go to vaccines.gov.
Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is responsible for the following:
“Together, with science at the forefront, we have taken another significant step forward in our country’s fight against COVID-19.” We know that millions of parents and caregivers want to get their young children vaccinated, and now they can thanks to today’s decision. I encourage parents and caregivers who have questions about vaccinations to speak with their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacy to learn more about the advantages of immunizations and the significance of vaccinating their children.”