When Do Kids Need Their First COVID Shot To Be Fully Vaccinated By Christmas?

With the rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11 this week, there is plenty of time to get children fully vaccinated in time for the holidays if parents keep certain dates in mind.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the lower dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 last week, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the shot for kids of that age group on Tuesday, giving the green light for inoculation.

Previously, the Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in people aged 12 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID shots are authorized for administration in individuals aged 18 and older, although Moderna has a kids’ vaccine in review with the FDA.

CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Sam’s Club have already announced that they will be administering the Pfizer vaccine to children as early as this week. CVS said it will begin offering shots to children on Sunday, while Walgreens will start inoculating kids on Saturday. Walmart and Sam’s Club will begin vaccinations on children later this week.

Parents are being urged to vaccinate their younger children as soon as possible to protect them from the spread of COVID-19. But like the adult version of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, kids will need two doses spaced about three weeks apart to be considered fully vaccinated against the virus.

Dr. Diego Chaves-Gnecco, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, told CNN that children will not be considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second dose of the shot, and each dose must be spaced at least 21 days apart.

To ensure that a child is fully protected in time for the holidays, parents need to act with some urgency.

Parents looking to have their child vaccinated by Christmas would need to make sure their child receives their first dose of the shot by Nov. 19, and the second dose of the vaccine should be slated for Dec. 10 in order to be fully protected by Christmas Eve, CNN reported.