COVID-19 Vaccination for Children

The federal government is committed to ensuring that children who are eligible have access to COVID-19 vaccines. This page shares up-to-date information and resources on how to help children who are eligible get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Currently, children ages 5 through 11 years are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccine manufacturers are conducting clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination among children younger than 5 years old. Pfizer-BioNTech has begun submitting data on a three-dose primary series to FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application for a vaccine for children ages 6 months through 4 years. Moderna has also begun submitting data on a two-dose primary series for children aged 6 months through 5 years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review the submitted data and determine if vaccines are safe and effective and if they should be authorized for emergency use.  Following FDA authorization, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet to discuss making a recommendation to the CDC director on the use of authorized vaccines based on a thorough review of the available evidence. ACIP’s decision will be sent to the CDC director for review and the CDC director makes a final determination about the use of vaccine.  If the CDC director recommends use of the vaccine, it will become available for administration.

More information on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination recommendations will be shared on this page as it becomes available.

Everyone should continue to follow all current prevention measures recommended by CDC and based on latest COVID-19 Community Level data.

Supporting Data

• CDC COVID Data Tracker (Pediatric Data)
• COVID-Net State Activity Indicator Map (U.S. Hospitalization Data)
• Provisional COVID-19 Deaths: Focus on Ages 0-18 Years (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Children and COVID-19: State Level Data Reportexternal icon (American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association)

Published Research

• COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Publications
• Effectiveness of 2-Dose BNT162b2 (Pfizer BioNTech) mRNA Vaccine in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Children Aged 5–11 Years and Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years — PROTECT Cohort, July 2021–February 2022 (CDC, MMWR)
• Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses Among Persons Aged 12–17 Years — United States, December 9, 2021–February 20, 2022 (CDC, MMWR)
• Effectiveness of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Nonimmunocompromised Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years — VISION Network, 10 States, April 2021–January 2022 (CDC, MMWR)
• COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Children Aged 5–11 Years — United States, November 3–December 19, 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
• Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years Hospitalized with COVID-19 — Six Hospitals, United States, July–August 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
• Trends in COVID-19 Cases, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospital Admissions Among Children and Adolescents Aged 0–17 Years — United States, August 2020–August 2021(CDC, MMWR)
• Hospitalizations Associated with COVID-19 Among Children and Adolescents — COVID-NET, 14 States, March 1, 2020–August 14, 2021(CDC, MMWR)

FDA Updates

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss Request for Authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 6 Months Through 4 Years of Age | FDAexternal icon

• Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC
• Administration Overview for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
• Vaccine Administration Protocols
• Immunization Schedules
• Vaccine Administration Resource Library

• You Call the Shots Vaccine Administration e-Learn: The vaccine administration e-Learn is an interactive, online educational program that serves as a useful introductory course or a great refresher on vaccine administration. Continuing education (C.E.) is available.
• You Call the Shots Storage and Handling: You Call the Shots is a series of interactive, web-based, immunization training courses that present practice-oriented immunization content in a self-study format. This module provides an overview of vaccine storage and handling requirements. Continuing education (C.E.) is available.
• Vaccine Administration: Intramuscular (IM) injections: Children 7 through 18 years of agepdf icon: This chart provides an overview of best practices for healthcare providers to administer an I.M. injection to patients 7 through 18 years of age.
• Vaccine Administration: Needle Gauge and Lengthpdf icon: This chart provides an overview of the recommended needle gauge and length for patients depending on route, age, and injection site.
• Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Conversations – AAPexternal icon: This online course aims to improve knowledge and competency among pediatricians and non-physicians to have effective COVID-19 vaccine conversations with patients and families, including sharing credible COVID-19 vaccination information and responding to misinformation.
• Quick Conversation Guide on COVID-19 Vaccines for Children: Find quick answers to common questions parents and caregivers may have about the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 years.
• U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Product Information: Find a suite of information and materials needed for each specific COVID-19 vaccine that covers administration, storage and handling, safety, and reporting.
• Training and Education for COVID-19 Vaccination

• Vaccinating Children with Disabilities Against COVID-19 NEW April 2022
• Slide Deck: COVID-19 Vaccines and Children with Developmental Disabilities: Let’s Talkpdf iconexternal icon (Webinar held Nov. 17, 2021, from VaxFactsDDNY, a project of Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation & Rehabilitation Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
• Important Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination of Children with Developmental Disabilitiespdf iconexternal icon (Pediatrics, Oct 2021)
• Talking to Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities about COVID-19 Vaccination
• Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies