“The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved both the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccine for children ages six months and older,” says Bert Mandelbaum, MD, a board certified pediatrician on the Medical Staff of Penn Medicine Princeton Health. “The vaccine will protect your children from the more serious consequences of COVID-19 infection, including hospitalization and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C can cause serious inflammation in the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, and other organs.”
A series of two doses of the Moderna vaccine or three doses of the Pfizer vaccine are required for full protection. Infants and younger children receive a much smaller dose of the vaccine compared to older children or adults.
“Parents should be confident in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines,” says Dr. Mandelbaum. “Thousands of children were involved in the study of both vaccines and there were no serious adverse reactions. Some had temporary minor side effects like soreness or redness at the injection site or a fever. The only reason someone should hesitate getting the vaccine would be if the child previously had an allergic reaction to a vaccine component, and that is very rare.”