Updated COVID Booster Addressing Variants Offered To Children 5-11 In Virginia

VIRGINIA — Updated COVID-19 boosters for children aged 5 to 11 are being made available after federal approvals. The vaccine boosters are already available to children 12 and older and adults.

The Virginia Department of Health announced Monday the bivalent pediatric COVID-19 booster vaccine is being offered to the younger age group. The Pfizer-BioNTech booster is available to children aged 5 to 11, and the Moderna booster is available to children aged 6 to 17 years. The booster is recommended at least two months from the initial vaccine series or the last booster.

The bivalent boosters for children and adults specifically address the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron variant that first appeared in November 2021 as well as the original strain of the COVID-19 virus first detected in late 2019. The updated Pfizer booster had previously been made available to anyone 12 and older, while the Moderna booster was made available to those 18 and older.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the updated pediatric booster on Oct. 12 following authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to the CDC, updated vaccines help "restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and targeting recent Omicron variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading."

The Pfizer pediatric booster for ages 5 to 11 is a third of the dose for ages 12 and older. The Moderna pediatric booster for ages 6 to 11 is half the dose for ages 12 and older.

Health experts say the COVID-19 vaccine can be received at the same time as other vaccines, including the flu vaccine. Flu shots are recommended each year for everyone 6 and older typically during the fall months before peak flu season gets underway.

The Virginia Department of Health encourages families to discuss the updated booster with their child's doctor. Residents can find COVID-19 vaccine information in Virginia at vaccinate.virginia.gov as well as COVID-19 and flu vaccines at Vaccines.gov.