April 11, 2022
This message includes updates on the COVID-19 response from CDC. The COVID-19 Outbreak is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.
COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
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.
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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 U.S. 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.
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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% 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.
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COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review
Vaccinating children is the single best way to protect them from getting very sick with COVID-19.
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COVID-19 Community Levels
CDC uses COVID-19 Community Levels to determine the disease’s impact on counties and recommend prevention measures.
CDC also tracks cases, laboratory tests, vaccinations, deaths, and other pandemic data and provides them on our COVID Data Tracker.
Community Levels
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd Atlanta, GA 30329 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: 888-232-6348 |
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