COVID Vaccine FAQs

How does the 5-to-11-year-old vaccine compare to the 12+ dose?

The dose is 10mcg (vs 12+ dose of 30mcg). Your child will require 2 doses 21 days apart. Your child will be protected 2 weeks after receiving the 2nd vaccine dose.

How did they decide the 12-year-old cut-off?

Researchers commonly use this age as a cutoff when studying vaccines based on immune development. Younger children mount a robust immune response to illness and vaccines, which is why this age group will be receiving a smaller dose with similar effect found in clinical trials. The goal is to give your child the smallest dose with maximum effect to minimize possible side effects.

After reading the above, my child is 12+ years old, pre-pubertal and small for age, should he/she/they get the smaller dose?

No. Your child should get the dose based on age, not size or weight. In pediatrics, we often use weight for medication doses to avoid toxicity, so this may be something you are used to seeing. With vaccines, the dose is tailored to the immune system, which is age, not weight/size-dependent. For example, in adults, a 95lb 30- year-old and 400lb 30-year-old would receive the same dose.

What if my child turns 12 between vaccine doses?

Your child will get the same 2nd dose as he/she/they did first dose.

Can my child get the COVID-19 vaccine with other vaccines?

Yes! Your child may receive other vaccines in conjunction with the COVID-19 vaccine. You do not need to wait a minimum period between different vaccines.

What are the potential side effects?

The most common side effects are pain, redness or swelling at the injection site. Less frequently, your child may experience fatigue, headache, muscle pain, fever, nausea or chills. We are still learning more about the risk of myocarditis in this population, but current data suggests the risk is lower in this age group and much smaller than the risk posed by getting ill from the COVID-19 virus.

But I thought children don’t get sick from COVID… Does my child really need this vaccine?

As of October 21, 2021, nearly 6.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19. Approximately 100,000 children continue to test positive every week in the United States alone. The CDC estimates approximately 650 children in US have died and thousands have been hospitalized. Additionally, we are just beginning to understand the consequences of long-COVID… so, yes, we think your child needs it.

Will the vaccine affect my child’s pubertal development or future ability to have children?

There is no evidence that the vaccine will do such a thing. There are some case reports documenting changes to menstrual cycles, as would be expected in any acute illness or stress on the body. In these case reports, menstrual cycles have normalized. Additionally, there is currently no evidence that antibodies made following COVID-19 vaccination cause problems with becoming pregnant now or in the future. Additionally, studies show no significant changes in sperm characteristics after vaccination.

Does the vaccine alter my child’s DNA?

No. The Pfizer COVID-19 is an mRNA vaccine. mRNA enters muscle cells with instructions to produce a spike protein that is found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. Once this protein is made, our cells break down the mRNA and remove it. Our bodies then learn to recognize the spike protein as a foreign substance and produce antibodies that can fight to remove it.