COVID-19 Vaccines for Your Child
The COVID-19 vaccines have gone through the same testing and analysis that is used for all vaccines to make sure they’re safe and effective for children. They're being made available based on guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).
- Yes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for emergency use for children ages 6 months and older.
- Parents who would like to get their children vaccinated through UI Health Care can do so by scheduling a vaccination through MyChart or by visiting uihc.org/covid-vaccine.
- If your child has an upcoming visit already scheduled at UI Health Care–Iowa River Landing, your provider may discuss getting your child vaccinated during your visit.
Parents who would like to get their children vaccinated through UI Health Care can do so by:
Scheduling a vaccination through MyChart or Schedule online at uihc.org
If your child has an upcoming visit already scheduled at UI Health Care–Iowa River Landing, your provider may discuss getting your child vaccinated during your visit.
Everyone aged 5 years and older is eligible to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine if it has been at least 2 months since their last dose.
Children aged 6 months–4 years who completed the Moderna primary series are eligible to receive a booster if it has been at least 2 months since their last dose.
Like other drugs and biologics, vaccines released in the U.S. must go through multiple phases of rigorous testing, analysis, and review as they are developed. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) closely monitors the vaccine development process and testing results for efficacy and safety. As part of the FDA’s formal process to determine if the vaccine is authorized for public use, it also seeks a recommendation from a multidisciplinary team of experts consisting of independent medical officers, microbiologists, chemists, biostatisticians, and other health experts. If authorized, the FDA continues to oversee the vaccine and its manufacturing to monitor ongoing safety. The COVID-19 vaccine has undergone all of the steps described here.
Although the speed at which the COVID-19 vaccine was developed was faster than most vaccine development processes, COVID-19 vaccines are still required to go through the proper testing and analysis to make sure they are safe—no step in the process has been skipped.
Clinical trials were conducted with children ages 6 months to 17 years, just like the adult clinical trials, to test the effectiveness of this COVID-19 vaccine.
Children can get COVID-19 just like adults. While oftentimes children with COVID-19 may not end up as getting sick as adults with COVID-19 might, they are still at risk for severe illness and can spread the virus to other children, as well as adults who may experience severe illness. Vaccinating children is safe and effective for your child and your family and is an important step to returning to normal things like in-person learning, sports, and activities.
The dosage administered of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines vary depending on the age of the child receiving the vaccine. Younger children receive lower doses in comparison to older children and adults.
Children receiving the vaccine may experience the same side effects as an adult would. Common side effects include a sore arm, fatigue, headache, fever, or chills lasting up to around 48 hours after vaccination. These side effects are normal and show that the body is mounting a response to the vaccine, which helps your child’s body to protect itself against the COVID-19 virus. Some patients may not experience these side effects, but the vaccine is working.
No. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine get vaccinated as soon as they are able. Clinical trials show that this vaccine is safe and effective for children.
No. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. These vaccines give your child’s cells instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus, which then teaches their body how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if they are exposed in the future. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain the virus, so they can’t give your child COVID-19.
No. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. The messenger RNA contained in the COVID-19 vaccine cannot integrate into your child’s DNA or their human genes and is broken down very quickly once it's exposed in the body. The COVID-19 vaccines cannot change your child’s DNA.
Yes, if a patient is eligible, both flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be administered at the same visit. In addition to flu vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccine can be given at the same time as other vaccines as well.
All people ages 5 years and older should receive a booster dose of an age-appropriate recommended COVID-19 vaccine.
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This booster dose should be administered at least two months after the last dose your child received (their last booster or after the final dose in your primary vaccination series).
Yes. An additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for those individuals ages 6 months and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. This includes people who have:
- Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors, or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
If you are unsure if you or your child are eligible for an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at this time or have concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccine you received, please contact your pediatrician or primary care provider.