Children, Youth and COVID-19 Vaccines
- Everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to protect against COVID-19.
- Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic, prevent new variants, and bring us one step closer to enjoying the activities that we miss.
- COVID-19 vaccines are now available for children 12 years and older!
- After vaccination, your child may experience some side effects – these are normal signs that their body is building protection.
- Common side effects that usually go away in a few days:
- On the arm where you got the shot: pain, redness, swelling.
- Throughout the rest of your body: tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, nausea.
- Some people have no side effects.
- COVID-19 vaccinations are FREE.
- Your child will need 2 shots for full protection. The 2nd shot will be approximately 3 weeks after the 1st shot.
- Nearly 4 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in children (14% of all cases) in the US. 16,000+ children have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 300+ children have died.
- Black and brown children bear a disproportionate burden of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.
Content last reviewed on July 15, 2021