COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Children Ages 6 Months to 17 Years: What You Should Know – On Cancer – Memorial Sloan Kettering

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that children age 6 months through 17 years get vaccinated against COVID-19.

COVID-19 illness is typically not serious in children, but there is a chance of severe complications, and children can still spread the disease, says Mini Kamboj, MSKs Chief Medical Epidemiologist.

Mini Kamboj

Dr. Kamboj has answers to your questions about getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19.

Rigorous clinical trials found that COVID-19 vaccines were safe and effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19. Since then, tens of millions of children have been vaccinated. The FDA, CDC, and vaccine manufacturers will continue to monitor new data as more children get vaccinated to ensure that the vaccines are safe.

The side effects are mostly the same for children. Your child could experience soreness at the injection site, fatigue, headache, body aches, and fever. These symptoms dont last long about 1 to 3 days.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a rare complication in children infected with COVID-19. The vaccines do not cause MIS-C, and by preventing COVID-19 infection, they actually prevent MIS-C.

Research has shown that there is a greater risk of heart problems from being infected with COVID-19 than from being vaccinated.

The group that is most likely to develop this condition after getting the COVID-19 vaccine is young men aged 12 to 39. Because of this, this group can wait longer between their first and second dose (of their primary vaccine series) to reduce their risk of myocarditis or pericarditis. They should wait 8 weeks between shots.

Read more aboutmyocarditis, a rare COVID-19 vaccine side effect

Yes. Children who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should get vaccinated. Just like immunocompromised adults, children with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines for people who have had cancer

You can schedule a vaccination by talking to your childs primary doctor at MSK.

At this time, MSK is not vaccinating caregivers or family members of patients.

No. A parent or guardian must be on-site to consent to their child getting the vaccine. They are not permitted to give consent over the phone or electronically.

Yes. The COVID-19 vaccines remain effective and safe when given with other vaccines. There is no specific time interval that is recommended between routine vaccinations and the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

However, many vaccinations come with a risk of mild side effects. You may want to schedule your childs COVID-19 vaccination at a different time from other vaccinations, to reduce the chance that they experience several side effects all at once.

The CDCs website has resources to guide you on the timing of COVID-19 shots:

COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

Stay Up to Date with Your COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 Vaccines for People who are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised

Its true that children are at a lower risk overall of becoming severely ill with COVID-19 compared with adults. However, children can stillbecome very sick. Like adults, children can also experience symptoms of long COVID that can affect their quality of life and daily activities. These symptoms are prevented by the vaccine.

Most importantly, children are at least as likely to be infected as adults and spread COVID-19 to others, including in the household and at school.

Yes, its recommended that children who have been infected with COVID-19 should still get vaccinated and boosted. Primary vaccination and booster doses after infection increases protection against future infection and severe disease.

September 14, 2022

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COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Children Ages 6 Months to 17 Years: What You Should Know - On Cancer - Memorial Sloan Kettering