Healthy Kids

Keeping our Children Healthy

Vaccination against COVID remains the best way to protect kids from COVID. Currently, individuals 5 years old and older are eligible to be vaccinated. Fully vaccinated individuals (a) significantly reduce their risk of developing the disease when exposed to a person with COVID, and reduce their risk of becoming seriously ill if they do get sick.

CDC has expanded eligibility for booster doses to those 12 to 15 years old and recommends that adolescents age 12 to 17 receive a booster five months after their initial Pfizer vaccination series.

Preventing Transmission of Infectious Diseases in Schools

In addition to encouraging vaccinations, the following prevention measures maximize students' opportunity to attend school in person:

  • Every person wearing a mask whenever they are in school

  • Maintaining as much distance as possible

  • Staying home when sick and being tested when you could have COVID

  • Identifying people exposed to COVID and staying home while at risk for becoming ill

  • Washing hands

  • Covering coughs and sneezes

  • Maximizing ventilation

  • Cleaning and disinfection

Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccines Approved for Children 5 to 11 Years Old

The FDA has granted Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine for children five through 11 years old and CDC has issued a recommendation that children in this age group be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children age five through 11 is administered as a two-dose series, three weeks apart, but is a lower dose (10 micrograms) than that used for individuals 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms).

Safety and Effectiveness

The vaccine was found to be nearly 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children five through 11 years old. The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children in this age group and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study. In clinical trials, vaccine side effects were mild and similar to those seen in adults and with other vaccines recommended for children. The most common side effect was a sore arm. Others included fatigue, headache, muscle and/or joint pain, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and decreased appetite. More children reported side effects after the second dose than after the first dose. Most went away within one to two days.

Schedule a Vaccine Appointment for Your Child

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines are available at all Wood County Health Department vaccine clinics. Find a list of Wood County Health Department Vaccine clinics here: COVID-19 Vaccines.

Benefits of Vaccination

Getting children vaccinated can help protect them against COVID-19, as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities by helping curb community transmission. COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalizations, deaths, MIS-C (inflammatory syndromes) and long-term complications, such as “long COVID,” in which symptoms can linger for months.

Find out More

Parents with questions about the vaccines are encouraged to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated.