The Truth About the COVID Vaccine for Children 5 and Older

This post has been paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Personal thoughts and opinions are my own.

In February 2020, my son and I were on our way to a family trip in Orlando, Florida. It was a vacation we were looking forward to for several months and couldn’t quite believe the time had finally come to jump on a plane and go.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic.

While I had heard a few rumblings in the news about COVID-19, it still was unclear just how serious the virus was. So, we headed into the sky without a worry, landed at our destination, and had a wonderful family adventure. Little did we know how much our world would change when we returned home.

It would be the very next month, March 2020, that we entered an entirely different life. COVID-19 had arrived in the United States.

My son’s school closed and transitioned to virtual learning.

We were sheltering in place at home.

I started wearing a mask in the rare instances I had to get out of the house for food, home supplies, or running simple errands.

I will admit, it felt like I had been transplanted into a different universe that I never, never thought I would experience in my (and my kid’s) lifetime. 

When the vaccine finally became available for adults, I was one of many in line to get it.

I felt a sense of comfort when I finally received my first vaccine dose, then my second. 

My oldest child was an adult at the time, so they received their vaccination doses, too.

I was emotional after we were both vaccinated because I had hope. Big hope! In fact, I changed my Facebook profile photo to a We Can Do This frame to share my support of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The next step? A vaccine to become available for my youngest child, who was 12. 

It wouldn’t be long before our prayers were answered!

In May 2021, the FDA authorized vaccinations for children ages 12-15. My 12-year-old was just as excited as I was! In fact, he insisted I schedule an appointment right away. So, I did.

Today, 5–17-year-old children can receive vaccinations, which is an exciting sign of progress!

WHY RECEIVE THE COVID-19 VACCINE FOR YOUR 5–17-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN?

There are many positive reasons for getting the COVID-19 vaccine (per the CDC):

• COVID vaccines help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death. 
• COVID vaccines are safe and are given to children 5-11 in smaller doses that have been specially tailored for younger children. Adolescents ages 12 years and older receive the same dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine as adults. 
• There is no way to know how COVID will affect your child, but clinical trials showed vaccines help prevent severe illness and death from COVID.
• Since August, 1 in 5 new COVID cases have been in kids. But vaccines can bring that number down and help protect children from severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID.

SCHEDULE A COVID-19 VACCINATION TODAY

In a nutshell, receiving a vaccine slows the spread in our country, which takes us in a direction of beating this virus together. I encourage you and your children 5-17 years old to get a vaccine to do just that.

Talk to a doctor if you have questions about the vaccine and find vaccines near you at vaccines.gov.

Let’s slow the spread together. We Can Do This!

Amy @ Mom Spark

For 16 years, I have been the creator & full-time blogger of Mom Spark. I’ve also created content for numerous outlets such as Good Housekeeping, Better Homes & Gardens, & Huff Post.