My child is about to turn 12. Which COVID-19 vaccine should they get?

​The short answer: Your child should get the COVID vaccine dose that is recommended for their age and health status.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to use the vaccine that is appropriate for the child's age on the day they get each shot or booster. There are many reasons for this. But the main reason is to have the dose that your child's immune system needs so it can learn to protect itself from the virus.

The first COVID vaccine doses that are recommended for people of all ages are called the primary series doses. They are the original COVID vaccines that were developed to protect against the original virus strain in the pandemic. An updated fall booster shot, also called the omicron booster or "bivalent" vaccine, is recommended for kids age 12 years and older. (Learn what booster doses kids need here.) Some children with certain medical conditions may need additional doses.

Which COVID shot should my child get if they had a birthday between doses?

The size of the dose a child gets is based on how old they are on the day that they get the COVID shot. However, there are a few things to know about the COVID vaccine for kids who are crossing between age groups.

A child turning from age 4 years to 5 years between Pfizer primary series doses has two options:

• Option 1

• Pfizer primary series vaccine for age 6 months through 4 years for Dose 1, and
  

• either Pfizer primary series vaccine for age 6 months through 4 years or Pfizer primary series vaccine for age 5 through 11 years for Dose 2 (depending on their age), and
  

• Pfizer primary series vaccine for age 5 through 11 years for Dose 3 or
  

• Option 2
  

  • 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine for age 5 years through 11 years
    

  
  

A child turning from age 11 years to 12 years between Pfizer primary series doses can get:

• Pfizer vaccine for age 5 years through 11 years for Dose 1

• Pfizer vaccine for age 12 years and older for Dose 2

A child turning from age 5 years to 6 years between Moderna primary series doses can get:

• Moderna vaccine for age 6 months through 5 years for Dose 1

• Moderna vaccine for age 6 years through 11 years for Dose 2

A child turning from age 11 years to 12 years between Moderna primary series doses can get:

• Moderna vaccine for age 6 years through 11 years for Dose 1

• Moderna vaccine for age 12 years through 17 years for Dose 2

Why do we use age for the vaccine dose, but weight for measuring a dose of medicine?

Vaccines don't work the same way medicines such as antibiotics do. Antibiotics help your body get rid of germs when you are sick. And to get rid of germs, your body needs the right amount of medicine so it can make it to all parts of the body and find the problem. We dose antibiotics by weight so that the medicine can get to all the places of infection at levels needed by different size bodies.

A vaccine, on the other hand, helps your body know how to stop germs before they make you sick. Just a very small dose is all your cells need to learn how to stop germs. When the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for babies and younger children were studied, they were found to be safe and effective at the recommended doses. The lower doses are what have been authorized and recommended.

Cells in your immune system go to the spot where the vaccine is given, rather than the vaccine needing to get all around the body. With information provided by the vaccine, the immune cells then launch a response to get rid of the virus.

After a shot, your child might have mild symptoms as the immune system practices what it learned and how to avoid getting sick. The next time your child is in contact with that virus, the immune system will know how to stop your child from getting sick.

Does my baby or younger child need a COVID vaccine?

Yes! COVID vaccines are lifesaving, which is why they are recommended starting at 6 months of age. And, the COVID vaccine is safe for pregnant people and babies before or during pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Delaying the COVID vaccine puts kids at greater risk of getting very sick or even dying.

Remember

Your child's doctor can answer questions about the vaccine and updated booster. COVID vaccination is safe, and it works. It also is the best tool we have so we can stop the spread of virus variants and protect your child from COVID.

More information

• When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine or a booster?
• Do Healthy Young People Need the COVID-19 Vaccine?
  
• Getting My COVID Vaccine: A Picture Story for Kids