How to Get a Covid Vaccine Shot for Your Kid

While health officials urged parents to be patient as they try to schedule appointments in the coming days, the larger question is how many parents will seek out vaccinations for young children. Some parents, even those who are vaccinated, are worried about giving children a brand-new vaccine, especially since most coronavirus cases in youngsters are mild.

Nov. 2, 2021, 7:33 p.m. ET

According to a survey released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 27 percent of parents are eager to get a vaccine for their younger children as soon as one is authorized, while a third say they will wait to see how the vaccine is working. Three in 10 parents say they will definitely not get the vaccine for their teenagers or children.

What to Know About Covid-19 Booster Shots

The F.D.A. has authorized booster shots for millions of recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna recipients who are eligible for a booster include people 65 and older, and younger adults at high risk of severe Covid-19 because of medical conditions or where they work. Eligible Pfizer and Moderna recipients can get a booster at least six months after their second dose. All Johnson & Johnson recipients will be eligible for a second shot at least two months after the first.

Yes. The F.D.A. has updated its authorizations to allow medical providers to boost people with a different vaccine than the one they initially received, a strategy known as “mix and match.” Whether you received Moderna, Johnson & Johnson or Pfizer-BioNTech, you may receive a booster of any other vaccine. Regulators have not recommended any one vaccine over another as a booster. They have also remained silent on whether it is preferable to stick with the same vaccine when possible.

The C.D.C. has said the conditions that qualify a person for a booster shot include: hypertension and heart disease; diabetes or obesity; cancer or blood disorders; weakened immune system; chronic lung, kidney or liver disease; dementia and certain disabilities. Pregnant women and current and former smokers are also eligible.

The F.D.A. authorized boosters for workers whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure to potentially infectious people. The C.D.C. says that group includes: emergency medical workers; education workers; food and agriculture workers; manufacturing workers; corrections workers; U.S. Postal Service workers; public transit workers; grocery store workers.

Yes. The C.D.C. says the Covid vaccine may be administered without regard to the timing of other vaccines, and many pharmacy sites are allowing people to schedule a flu shot at the same time as a booster dose.

Members of the C.D.C. committee who recommended the vaccines noted that they planned to get their own children and grandchildren vaccinated. They cited data showing that for every nine children vaccinated, one Covid infection would be prevented. Several members also said they were reassured by the safety data for the vaccine and gravely concerned about the toll Covid-19 had taken on children and their caregivers.

To date, nearly two million children ages 5 to 11 in the United States are known to have been infected with the virus, and 8,300 have been hospitalized. A third of those hospitalized were admitted to intensive care units, and at least 170 have died. More than 120,000 children in the United States have lost a parent or caregiver to the disease.

“I have a child in this age group, and I’m going to take my child to get this vaccine,” said Veronica McNally, a committee member who leads the Franny Strong Foundation, a childhood vaccine advocacy group in West Bloomfield, Mich. “To say that this disease does not impact kids is not an accurate statement.”

Dr. Matthew F. Daley, a committee member and senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research in Aurora, Colo., said it was important that doctors listen to parents’ concerns about the safety and potential side effects of the vaccine.

“It’s understandable you have questions and concerns,” Dr. Daley said, speaking to parents just before the committee voted. “I would encourage you to talk to your child’s pediatrician. They know your child, they know your family, and they can walk you through this.”