Keep Following Public Health Measures
Even once you are fully vaccinated, you should continue to follow public health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19covid 19 and stay safe. This includes:
- Stay at home if you have symptoms, even if they are mild
- Wear a mask where it is required
- Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly
- Cover your cough
- Follow guidance on how to celebrate holidays and festive events safely
- Get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19covid 19 or if you have been identified as a high-risk close contact of a COVID-19covid 19 case by public health
Would Getting The Covid
Yes. The COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer each provide about a 95% chance of protecting you from developing severe symptoms from COVID-19 after completion of the two-dose series. The vaccines are very effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Learn more about the safety and effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines.
COVID-19 Vaccine
What Share Of The Population Has Been Fully Vaccinated Against Covid
The following chart shows the share of the total population that has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This represents the share that have received all doses prescribed by the vaccination protocol. If a person receives the first dose of a 2-dose vaccine, this metric stays the same. If they receive the second dose, the metric goes up by 1.
This data is only available for countries which report the breakdown of doses administered by first and second doses.
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What About Scheduling Vaccine Appointments For Children Over 5 And Adults
Vaccine.gov has an interactive list of locations nationwide offering COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson . Adults can schedule a vaccine or booster appointment with their primary care physician or at a medical center. For kids ages 6 months to 11 years old, a pediatrician or children’s hospital is a good starting place.
Local and national pharmacies — including CVS, Walmart Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Walgreens — are all distributing COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. Check with your pharmacy for its process for making an appointment and the age groups it is vaccinating.
CVS and some Target locations with CVS pharmacies are distributing vaccines by appointment only, but you can schedule them online.
Do Vaccines Have Side Effects
Some vaccines may cause mild, temporary side effects. This includes fever, soreness or a lump where the vaccine shot was given. Your family doctor will talk to you about possible side effects with certain vaccines.
Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about whether your child should receive a vaccine.
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Does This Mean My Kid Can Stop Wearing A Mask
It does take time for the immune system to do its work. For mRNA vaccines, like the one available to children now, it will take more than 6-14 weeks after the first doses of the vaccine to develop immunity.
The vaccines available to kids are incredibly effective at preventing severe disease, but no vaccine is 100% protective. While COVID-19 continues to spread in our communities, we recommend continuing to follow the CDC guidance on masking recommendations for children ages 2 years and older. Masking helps protect your child as well as those more vulnerable around them. As more of the population gets vaccinated, we remain hopeful for a time when we no longer must think about when/if we should be wearing masks.
How Many Shots Do Children Need
Although vaccines are combined to reduce the number of shots needed, the list is still long.
Here is a common immunization schedule recommended by age 2:
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One vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella
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Four vaccinations for Haemophilus influenza , a common upper respiratory infection that can also cause meningitis
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Three to four polio vaccinations
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Four vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
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Three vaccinations for hepatitis B
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One vaccination for varicella no earlier than age 12 months and only if your child does not develop chickenpox on his or her own
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Three vaccinations for rotavirus, a type of infection that causes severe diarrhea
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Four vaccinations for pneumococcal disease, a common cause of ear infections and pneumonia
From age 4 to 6, your child will need booster shots for DPT, IPV, MMR, and chickenpox. Children should also start receiving a yearly flu shot after age 6 months. A vaccination for hepatitis A is recommended for all children. This is a lot to keep track of and why you need an immunization records form.
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Vaccine Safety And Eligibility
Health Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty mRNA vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. All COVID-19 vaccines for adults and children follow the same review and approval process.
Like all COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, vaccines for children are free, safe and effective. When you get your child vaccinated, you protect them from severe illness from COVID-19 and reduce the spread of infection in your community.
What Is The Covid Risk For Infants And Children Under 5
Though the overall risk of COVID is low, CDC data shows that COVID-19 can cause serious illness in unvaccinated infants and children under 4 years of age. Thousands of children under 5 have been hospitalized due to COVID, and there have been hundreds of deaths. It can be very scary for parents to see their children sick many may not want to take a chance.
Vaccines can offer an added layer of protection. If you would like to learn more, Solv can help you see a doctor near you in less than a day.
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How Many Vaccine Shots Do Kids Get
Moderna’s vaccine is a two-shot dose. Each dose is 25 micrograms, a quarter the strength given to adults, with the second shot given four weeks after the first.
Pfizer’s vaccine is a three-shot process: Each dose is only 3 micrograms, a tenth of the adult version. The first two shots are given three weeks apart, and the third is administered at least two months after the second.
How Vaccines Are Given
Most vaccines are given by needle in the upper arm or thigh. Some vaccines, like the rotavirus vaccine, are given by mouth. There’s also a flu vaccine for children that’s sprayed into the nose.
Some vaccines are given separately. Others, like the MMR vaccine, protect against 3 diseases in one vaccine.
Your child’s immune system can learn from more than 1 vaccine at a time. For instance, babies can respond to 10,000 different antigens at any one time.
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Why Childhood Immunizations Are Important
Childhood vaccines or immunizations can seem overwhelming when you are a new parent. Vaccine schedules recommended by agencies and organizations, such as the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians cover about 14 different diseases.
Vaccinations not only protect your child from deadly diseases, such as polio, tetanus, and diphtheria, but they also keep other children safe by eliminating or greatly decreasing dangerous diseases that used to spread from child to child.
A vaccine is a dead, or weakened version, or part of the germ that causes the disease in question. When children are exposed to a disease in vaccine form, their immune system, which is the body’s germ-fighting machine, is able to build up antibodies that protect them from contracting the disease if and when they are exposed to the actual disease.
Over the years, vaccines have generated some controversy over safety, but no convincing evidence of harm has been found. And although children can have a reaction to any vaccine, the important thing to know is that the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the possible side effects.
If You Have Multiple Children They Each Need An Appointment
You can take more than 1 child to get vaccinated at once. They each need to have their own appointment for the same day and same clinic, but the appointments don’t need to be at the same time. You can arrive at the clinic at any of the appointment times you booked, and all family members will be vaccinated at the same time.
For example, if you have 2 children that you would like to get vaccinated after school on December 16:
- Book 1 appointment for 3:30 pm on December 16
- Book another appointment at any available time at the same clinic on December 16
- Take both children to the appointment at 3:30 pm
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Access To Family Assistance Payments And Childcare Immunisation Requirements
To access family assistance payments such as Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Subsidies children are required to be vaccinated against the diseases as per the age appropriate early childhood vaccination schedule.
Additionally, some states and territories may require a child to meet the immunisation requirements, or provide an immunisation record, to enrol in early education and care services.
Find more information: Immunisations for access to family assistance payments and early childhood services.
Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation
Talking about immunisation for parents Answering your questions so you have the information you need to make a decision for your family.
Measles Mumps And Rubella Vaccination
Routine vaccination
- 2-dose series at 1215 months, 46 years
- Dose 2 may be administered as early as 4 weeks after dose 1.
Catch-up vaccination
- Unvaccinated children and adolescents: 2-dose series at least 4 weeks apart
- The maximum age for use of MMRV is 12 years.
Special situations
International travel
- Infants age 611 months: 1 dose before departure revaccinate with 2-dose series at age 1215 months and dose 2 as early as 4 weeks later.
- Unvaccinated children age 12 months or older: 2-dose series at least 4 weeks apart before departure
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Tetanus Diphtheria And Pertussis Vaccination
Routine vaccination
- Adolescents age 1112 years: 1 dose Tdap
- Pregnancy: 1 dose Tdap during each pregnancy, preferably during the early part of gestational weeks 2736
- Tdap may be administered regardless of the interval since the last tetanus- and diphtheria-toxoid-containing vaccine.
Catch-up vaccination
- Adolescents age 1318 years who have not received Tdap: 1 dose Tdap, then Td or Tdap booster every 10 years
- Persons age 718 years not fully vaccinated* with DTaP: 1 dose Tdap as part of the catch-up series if additional doses are needed, use Td or Tdap.
- Tdap administered at age 710 years
- Children age 79 years who receive Tdap should receive the routine Tdap dose at age 1112 years.
- Children age 10 years who receive Tdap do not need the routine Tdap dose at age 1112 years.
Special situations
*Fully vaccinated = 5 valid doses of DTaP OR 4 valid doses of DTaP if dose 4 was administered at age 4 years or older.
How Bad Are The Side Effects
For both vaccine brands, reported side effects have been mild or moderate and similar to those in adults, with no major safety concerns. Side effects include soreness where theyve been injected, chills, fatigue, headache, and fever.
Fever is one of the most common side effects, occurring in 21% to 26% of kids who receive the Moderna vaccine and 7% of children who get Pfizers. But that’s what happens when you develop a vigorous immune response you develop a fever, Offit says. Fever is a manageable side effect it can be mitigated with over-the-counter medicine, and it doesnt cause permanent damage.
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Why Should My Kid Get Vaccinated If Theyre Not Likely To Get Very Sick
Children are less likely to get very sick, but serious cases can and do occur, even in health children.
Since 2020, 442 children ages 0-4 years old have died from COVID-19. COVID remains a top 10 leading cause of death for kids. During the most recent Omicron surge, hospitalization due to COVID disease among kids < 5 years of age here higher than in any other child age group. In fact, hospitalizations were higher than what weve seen in previous flu peaks. Of toddlers hospitalized, 25% were sick enough to need care in the ICU. Around half of children with severe illness have no underlying medical conditions.
Hospitalizations arent the only risk, though. Kids can get long COVID, complications from the virus that still arent well understood and can last for months or longer after initial symptoms have subsided.
We also know that our littlest kids are less able to use the layering measures to help keep them safe, such as masking and distancing.
Getting kids vaccinated also is an important component of bringing the pandemic under control.
If Your Child Is Missing A Vaccine
Life can get busy and you may not be able to make every vaccination appointment for your child. Your child may also have missed vaccines from your health care provider or their school because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is important to call your health care provider or local public health authority if your child missed receiving any vaccines. They can help your child get back on track with the recommended vaccination schedule. This will help to protect your child from many vaccine-preventable diseases.
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Routinely Administered Vaccines For Children
Some of the most commonly administered vaccines are briefly discussed below. A complete list of licensed vaccines in the United States and additional information, such as prescribing information and patient labeling are available at: .
Do Kids Even Need To Be Vaccinated For Covid
Children are less likely to experience severe illness than adults, but some have become extremely sick. The omicron wave was specifically hard on children, leading to an increase in juvenile hospitalizations. Between December 2021 and February 2022, nearly 90% of children 5 to 11 who were hospitalized were unvaccinated, according to the CDC.
Of those children, 30% had no underlying medical conditions that would have made them more susceptible to more serious complications. An found that 75% of children age 11 and younger showed evidence of previous coronavirus infection, with roughly one-third becoming newly seropositive since December 2021. But having antibodies for the virus “should not be interpreted as protection from future infection,” the agency said in a statement.
“Vaccination remains the safest strategy for preventing complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection, including hospitalization among children and adults.” Kids 5 to 11 who have COVID-19 also have a higher risk of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, a rare but potentially serious complication that can involve inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes and other organs. More than 2 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in children 4 years old or younger in the US, according to the CDC, resulting in 442 deaths.
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What To Bring To Your Appointment
For your appointment, you should bring:
- your booking confirmation code or email
- your Ontario health card, if you have one
- a letter from your school, medical provider or faith leader, if you dont have an Ontario health card
- your immunization record, if available, to keep track of your COVID-19covid 19 vaccine
- an allergy form, if you have a suspected allergy to the Pfizer vaccine or any of its ingredients or have had a previous allergic reaction to a vaccine
- a mask
- a support person, if needed
Should My Child Receive Any Other Vaccines
The CPS recommends that all children over 6 months old get aflu shot each year. The vaccine is especially important for children less than 5 years of age, and for older children with chronic conditions who are at high risk of complications from the flu. The flu shot is also safe and highly recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Since infants less than 6 months of age cannot get the flu shot , antibodies against the flu are transferred to the baby from the mother before birth and through breast milk.
The CPS also urges all children and youth age 5 years and older to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
If travelling, speak to your doctor about vaccines that can protect your child.
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Should I Consider Getting My Child Vaccinated For Covid
Yes. Experts, including those at Johns Hopkins, believe that there are many benefits:
The vaccine helps prevent kids from getting COVID-19: Although COVID-19 in children is sometimes milder than in adults, some kids infected with the coronavirus can get severe lung infections, become very sick and require hospitalization. This is especially important to remember in light of the delta variant, which is more contagious than other coronavirus variants. The current vaccines are still effective in preventing severe illness from the delta variant of the virus, Sick-Samuels notes. Children can also have complications such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children that may require intensive care or long-lasting symptoms that affect their health and well-being. The virus can cause death in children, although this is rarer than for adults.
The vaccine helps prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19: Like adults, children also can transmit the coronavirus to others if theyre infected, even when they have no symptoms. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine can protect the child and others, reducing the chance that they transmit the virus to others, including family members and friends who may be more susceptible to severe consequences of the infection.
If this happens some of the people so infected will become quite sick themselves or further spread the virus to others who will become very sick, and maybe even die all because of a preventable infection.