COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
What You Need to Know
- The CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone ages 6 months and older.
- Millions of children and teens ages 5 through 17 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Through continued safety monitoring, COVID-19 vaccination is safe for children and teens.
- Everyone 5 years and older should get a COVID-19 booster if eligible.
- Use CDC’s COVID-19 booster tool to learn if and when your child or teen can get boosters to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Teens
Just like adults, children and teens of all ages can:
- Get very sick from COVID-19
- Have both short- and long-term health problems
- Spread COVID-19 to others
There is no way to tell in advance how children or teens will be affected by COVID-19. Those with underlying medical conditions or a weakened immune system are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19. Some examples of conditions that can make children more likely to get severe COVID-19 include the following:
- Asthma or chronic lung disease
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Sickle cell disease
However, those without underlying medical conditions can also experience severe illness.
People Cannot Get COVID-19 from Any COVID-19 Vaccine: mRNA vaccines, like the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19 and do not interact with DNA in any way. Instead, mRNA vaccines teach the body how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Then, the body gets rid of the mRNA within a few days after vaccination.
Vaccine Dosage Is Based on Age on the Day of Vaccination, Not on Size or Weight: Children get a smaller dose of COVID-19 vaccine than teens and adults; that is the right amount for their age group.
COVID-19 Vaccine primary series
| Child’s Age | Pfizer-BioNTech | Moderna | J&J/Janssen |
| Six months – 4 years old | 3-dose primary series | 2-dose primary series | Not authorized |
| 5 – 17 years old | 2-dose primary series | 2-dose primary series | Not authorized |
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines and dosage for children and teens, visit:
For information on an additional primary dose for children with a weakened immune system, visit COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised.
Learn more about recommended COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
Please contact us for any questions.
Content Source:
- COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Children and Teens. (2022, June 24). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccines-children-teens.html
- COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children and Teens. (2022, June 19). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-safety-children-teens.html
- COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens. (2022, June 19). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html
- Why Children and Teens Should Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19. (2022, June 19). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/why-vaccinate-children-teens.html