Top 10: COVID Vaccines for Ages 6 Months – 5 years

All of the COVID vaccine information available to families can be overwhelming and confusing. That’s why I have made the list below.

1. Babies and young kids can now get a COVID shot. It’s the same vaccine millions have received, only in a smaller dose. Vaccination is the best way to reduce the negative impact of COVID on your child, your family, and your community.
2. There are two options: Pfizer or Moderna. Both are safe and effective. The Pfizer vaccine requires three doses. Right now, Moderna is a two-shot series for kids under 5 years old, but it's very possible that recommendations will change to three doses in the near future. 
3. The Food and Drug Administration has authorized both vaccines, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend either vaccine for children in this age group.
4. Your child can get the vaccine either at their pediatrician’s office or, locally in southwestern Vermont, at the COVID Resource Center. Check this link for current hours.
5. The side effects for the COVID vaccine are similar to those of other vaccines, including a sore arm, feeling a little run down, or a fever late the day of the shot or the day after. Thousands of children were in the studies, and there were no serious allergic or other reactions noted.
6. There are potential consequences to not being vaccinated, including serious illness, hospitalization, long COVID, and multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
7. With vaccination, your child is 50% less likely to experience COVID symptoms. They are far less likely to have a case of COVID that would require hospitalization compared with children who are not vaccinated.
8. If your child has had COVID, they should still be vaccinated. Kids can get the COVID vaccine as soon as their quarantine is over and they are feeling well. The only additional reason to delay is if they received an antibody infusion. 
9. Make sure your child has all of the other childhood vaccines they need, including measles, whooping cough, and others. In the fall, every child over 6 months should also get a flu shot.
10. Your questions are important. Call your pediatrician’s office or the COVID Hotline at 802-400-8844 to ask.

Ebrahim Ghazali, MD, is a pediatrician at SVMC Pediatrics, part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington.