Salt Lake City—Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded recommendations for the use of the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine for children as young as 6 months of age. Also known as “updated boosters,” or “updated vaccines,” the vaccines target multiple strains of COVID-19—the original strain of the virus and 2 of the Omicron variants (BA.4 and BA.5). The Omicron variants are currently the most widespread variants in the world.
The updated vaccines for this age group will be available as soon as next week. A list of vaccine providers is available at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/ or vaccines.gov and will be updated within the coming days to include the option of selecting the updated booster for children ages 6 months and older. Some vaccine providers such as pharmacists may not vaccinate this youngest age group.
“We encourage parents to reach out to their child’s healthcare provider if they have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines and to find out when they can get their children vaccinated. This is also a good time for other members of the family to make sure they are up-to-date with their COVID-19 and flu vaccines. With a lot of respiratory illnesses in our communities, we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves and those we care about,” said Dr. Leisha Nolen, a pediatrician and the state epidemiologist at the DHHS.
Vaccine recommendations are based on your age, the first type of COVID-19 vaccine you had, and the length of time since your last dose. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.
Who is now eligible for the updated COVID-19 vaccine?
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine:
- Children 6 months through 5 years of age who have completed their primary vaccine series (2 doses) can get a booster of the updated vaccine at least 2 months after their last dose.
- Children 6 through 17 years of age who have completed their primary vaccine series (2 doses) can get a booster of the updated vaccine 2 months after their last dose.
- Children of any age who have only received 1 dose must finish their primary series (2 doses) before they are eligible for the updated vaccine.
- Adults 18 and older are eligible for the updated vaccine at least 2 months after completing their primary series (2 doses) or their last booster dose.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine:
- Children 6 months through 4 years of age who have completed their primary vaccine series (3 doses) are not recommended to get the updated vaccine at this time.
- Children 6 months through 4 years of age who have received 1 or 2 doses of their primary series (3 doses) will get the updated vaccine for their 3rd and final dose.
- Children 5 through 17 years of age who have completed their primary vaccine series (2 doses) can get a booster of the updated vaccine at least 2 months after their last dose.
- Adults 18 and older are eligible for the updated vaccine at least 2 months after completing their primary series (2 doses) or their last booster dose.
Adults 18 and older who have completed the primary series with Johnson and Johnson (1 dose) are eligible for the updated vaccine at least 2 months after any last dose.
Adults 18 and older who have completed the primary series with Novavax (2 doses) are eligible for the updated vaccine at least 2 months after series completion.
Data from a recent MMWR show that the updated (bivalent) boosters help protect against COVID-19 illness. Early surveillance data posted to COVID Data Tracker show that people who received the updated (bivalent) booster dose were 15 times less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to people who were not vaccinated.
Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines and how many doses you or your child needs at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html.
To read the FDA announcement on this vaccine eligibility update, visit https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-updated-bivalent-covid-19-vaccines-children-down-6-months.’
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