Updated information on the COVID-19 vaccine and COVID-19 bivalent booster information was released last week. The COVID-19 bivalent booster is now available for 5-11 year-olds in our clinics at well child checks and at our Saturday vaccine clinics. Please see our website for further details for dates and online booking information for the Saturday vaccine clinics.
Yes. The protection COVID-19 vaccines provide decreases over time. CDC recommends the use of an mRNA booster dose for all individuals 5 years of age and older.
Children aged 5 years* and older should also receive one age-appropriate updated (bivalent) booster dose at least 2 months following:
- Completion of primary vaccination with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, or
- Receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccines.
*Children aged 5 years can only receive the Pfizer-BioNTech updated (bivalent) COVID-19 booster. Children ages 6 years and older can receive the authorized and approved updated (bivalent) COVID-19 booster from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech.
The CDC offers more information about booster doses, including eligibility and answers to frequently asked questions.
Experts continue to recommend that everyone get vaccinated and boosted, regardless of whether they’ve had COVID-19 in the past. COVID-19 vaccination provides stronger and longer duration of protection against future COVID-19 disease than recovering from natural infection alone. Individuals can get COVID-19 multiple times, especially as new strains circulate in communities. As cases increase across the country, a booster dose will safely help restore and enhance protection against severe disease.
For more information about the release of the COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine, click the link below:
https://publications.aap.org/
For the full article written by the American Academy of Pediatrics, click the link below: