June 20th, 2022 / 0 Comments

Please note: As we continue to learn more about COVID-19, the information in this article may change. You can find our most up-to-date information about coronavirus here.
This past weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention granted emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children over 6 months of age and under 5. Understandably, you may have questions about the vaccines, their administration and their side effects. To help you, we’ve asked our experts to answer some questions.
There are currently three COVID-19 vaccines available — one created by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, one created by Moderna and one created by Johnson & Johnson.
Read more on the CDC website about available COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
Common side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine include:
Most of the time, these side effects will go away in a few days.
Pain at the injection site (where the shot went into the arm) is also a common reaction. If your child feels pain or discomfort in the spot where they got their COVID‑19 vaccine, try placing a cool, wet washcloth on the area. You can also give them pain or fever-reducing medications following vaccination.
It is not recommended that you give your child any over-the-counter pain reliever before vaccination to prevent side effects.
Contact your child’s health care provider if:
Seek immediate medical attention if you think your child is having a severe allergic reaction to the COVID‑19 vaccine. Signs of severe allergic reaction include rapid heartbeat, swelling of the throat, rash or hives. This reaction is extremely rare.
This is an individual decision, based on each child’s individual situation. In general, we would not recommend waiting very long, and to discuss any concerns with your child’s health care provider.
No. Because both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are given in a series of shots spread over multiple weeks, it’s important to start vaccination right now so your child is fully protected by the time school starts.
If your child has COVID-19, they should wait until they have recovered from the illness AND met the criteria to discontinue isolation before getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The decrease in COVID-19 cases is a result of the good work people are doing in the community. The numbers are down because people are getting vaccinated, and people who are unvaccinated are following rules and regulations advised to them by the CDC and their community.
However, just because the virus may have begun to slow, does not mean our safety measures can. Before we can take a breath and consider this round of the pandemic over, we have to hit herd immunity with at least 70% of the population fully vaccinated, and we really need to add another group of children to help us cross that threshold.
Even if your child has already had COVID-19, they should still receive the vaccine once they have recovered from the illness. While there is some evidence that people who been infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop immunity for several months after infection, it is unclear if that immunity is fully protective and how long any protection may last. The vaccines have been studied specifically to answer these questions and have been demonstrated to be very effective at protecting vaccinated individuals from COVID-19.
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