Our immunity to COVID decreases over time. That's why it is important for your family to stay up to date with COVID vaccines.
COVID vaccines have been updated to work better against strains of the virus that are currently circulating. Nearly all kids age 6 months and older are eligible for the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine—including those who received a COVID vaccine before and anyone who had COVID.
Even now, there are still a lot of children and teens being
hospitalized with COVID. Most did not have an underlying medical condition. There is no way to predict which children will be severely affected by COVID. Getting the updated COVID vaccine is the safest and most dependable way to
build immunity and avoid serious illness.
Recommended dose & type of COVID vaccine
Updated COVID mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are available for kids age 6 months and older. If your child is at least 12 years old and cannot receive the mRNA vaccines, they may be eligible for the updated
protein subunit COVID vaccine from Novavax.
Babies and young children usually need more doses than older children and teens.
(See the chart below for details.) Parents should note that additional
doses of the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine may be recommended if a child has certain medical conditions or takes medicines that weaken the immune system.
When is my child up to date?
Children age 6 months through 4 years:
They are up to date when they get 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or 2 doses of Moderna vaccine. At least 1 dose should be an updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID vaccine.
Children age 5 through 11 years are up to date when they get:
1 dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
—OR—
When they get 1 dose of updated Moderna COVID vaccine.
Adolescents age 12 and older are up to date when they get:
1 dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
—OR—
1 dose of updated Moderna vaccine
—OR—
1 dose of updated Novavax vaccine (2 doses if previously unvaccinated).
Source: AAP Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Dosing Quick Reference Guide,
https://aap.org/covidvaccineguide
If your child has a medical condition or takes medicines that affect their immune system, ask your pediatrician whether your child's
recommended schedule is different.
Do kids need to wait to get the vaccine if they had COVID?
Talk to your pediatrician about the best timing for vaccination following infection. If your child has an active COVID infection or had COVID between doses, they should wait to get vaccinated until they've recovered and are no longer contagious.
Children who recently had COVID can consider delaying a COVID vaccine by up to 3 months. This is because there is a lower risk of getting sick with COVID again during that time.
Don't let COVID slow your family down this fall. Pediatricians urge everyone to keep your immune system updated by getting the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine.
People still should get the 2024-2025 COVID vaccine even if they had COVID. COVID vaccines have been shown to provide the strongest, broadest and most long-lasting
protection, both in people who have and who have not had COVID infection previously. Some people who become infected also may be at higher risk of long-term effects from their infection (known as
long COVID).
One thing is certain: COVID vaccines are the safest, most dependable way to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death. Billions of people have received them. We are relieved that almost all children and teens can get the vaccines, so they can stay healthy and thrive.
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