ATLANTA, USA, (CDC) – COVID-19 can make children and teens of any age very sick and sometimes requires treatment in a hospital.
Help protect children ages 5 years and older, especially from severe disease, hospitalization, or death by getting them vaccinated against COVID-19. Getting eligible children and teens vaccinated against COVID-19 can help keep them:
- From getting really sick if they do get COVID-19
- In school or daycare
- Safely participating in sports, playdates, and other group activities
There is no way to tell in advance how children or teens will be affected by COVID-19. However, those with underlying medical conditions or who have a weakened immune system are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19.
Those without underlying medical conditions can also experience severe illness. Almost half of children younger than 18 years old hospitalized with COVID-19 have no underlying conditions.
COVID-19 vaccine safety in children and teens
Before recommending COVID-19 vaccination, scientists conducted clinical trials with thousands of children and teens to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine emergency authorization for use in everyone ages 5 through 15 years and full approval for use in everyone ages 16 years and older.
Through continued safety monitoring, COVID-19 vaccination has been found safe for children and teens.
The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks.
CDC recommends everyone ages 5 years and older get vaccinated against COVID-19 and everyone ages 12 years and older should also get a COVID-19 booster shot.
COVID-19 vaccination for children and teens with disabilities
Many children and teens with disabilities have underlying medical conditions such as lung, heart, kidney disease, or a weakened immune system. Children and teens with one or more underlying medical condition are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19.
The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for those ages 5 through 17 years have been shown to be safe and effective at protecting against COVID-19 and preventing severe illness if infected. In clinical trials, about 20 percent of children and teens who participated had an underlying medical condition.
Some children and teens ages 5 through 17 years with a weakened immune system should get an additional dose of vaccine as part of their primary COVID-19 vaccination series.
When making an appointment or arriving for vaccination, parents and caregivers can let staff and/or volunteers know your child might need some accommodations.
Source: CDC
