Covid vaccines in children aged 5-11: answers to frequently asked questions
Covid vaccines for children between 5 and 11 years of age: on 24 November 2021 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the indication of the Comirnaty anti-Covid-19 vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age, a recommendation also confirmed by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) on 1 December
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Is a Covid vaccine available for children between 5 and 11 years of age?
Yes, the Comirnaty vaccine, produced by BioNTech/Pfizer, is available for children aged between 5 and 11 years.
This is the mRNA vaccine that is already used in children from the age of 12 and in adults; a lower dosage is used in children aged 5 to 11 than in older people (one third of the dosage, 10 µg compared to 30 µg).
As for the other age groups, two doses are administered by intramuscular injection (in the upper arm), three weeks apart.
Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only one available for the vaccination of children between 5 and 11 years of age. In some countries, vaccination of children between 5 and 11 years of age is already underway (USA, Israel, Austria, Chile).
Is the Covid vaccines for children between 5 and 11 years old safe?
Yes. Studies carried out for the vaccine in this age group show high efficacy in preventing COVID-19 (91%).
As with older children and adults, after vaccination against COVID-19, children may experience some local (pain, swelling) or general (fever, malaise, fatigue) side effects, which are short-lived (one to two days).
Children from 5 years of age and young people can be vaccinated against COVID-19 because the safety and efficacy of the vaccine has been carefully monitored, including studies in the 5-11 age group.
Your child cannot get COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.
Why should children be vaccinated against Covid?
COVID-19 vaccination can help protect your child from getting COVID-19 disease.
Although fewer children and young people get COVID-19 than adults, children can be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can become ill and can spread the virus to others.
In addition, in some rare cases, a form of inflammatory disease (MIS-C) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been described in children that can be particularly aggressive.
Getting your son/daughter vaccinated helps to protect him/her and his/her family in the first place.
Vaccination is currently recommended for all children aged 5 and over.
We know that COVID-19 has caused very serious illnesses and deaths in many people.
Vaccination is the safest option for yourself and your loved ones.
Vaccination of children between 5 and 11 years of age: what are the side effects of COVID vaccines?
After having the vaccine you may experience some side effects, which are normal signs that the body is building up protection against the disease.
Common side effects are pain, redness and swelling in the arm where the injection was given, as well as tiredness, headaches, muscle aches, chills, fever and nausea.
These side effects may affect the ability to carry out daily activities, but they disappear within a few hours or days.
Health authorities and the scientific community continue surveillance for the early recognition and management of any rare vaccine-related effects.
How long does the protection conferred by Covid vaccines last for children between 5 and 11 years of age?
In order to ensure the duration of protection, a booster dose in adults should be administered at least five months after the last dose, according to the current state of knowledge.
In addition, an additional vaccine dose is planned from the age of 12 years for persons undergoing a solid organ transplant or with a marked impairment of the immune response due to the underlying disease or drug treatment.
In these cases, the additional dose is administered at least 28 days after the last dose.
Is there a time interval between the Covid vaccine and other vaccines for children between 5 and 11 years of age?
It is possible to administer at the same time (or at any time interval, before or after), an anti-SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccine used in Italy and another inactivated vaccine (anti-polio; anti-diphtheria; antitetanus; anti-hepatitis B; anti-pertussis; anti-Haemophilus type b; anti-influenza; anti-HPV).
In the case of live attenuated vaccines (anti-mumps; anti-rubella; anti-rubella; anti-parotitis; anti-varicella; anti-herpes zoster; anti-yellow fever), a minimum precautionary distance of 14 days before or after administration of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is considered valid.
Does vaccination in childhood protect against variants?
Studies are ongoing to assess the efficacy of mRNA vaccines against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, preliminary data to date indicate that the vaccine is effective against some variants.
However, a broad generalisation on the protection of the vaccine against variants is not possible at present.
From a practical point of view, the discovery of these variants does not change the basic recommendations for vaccination.
In particular, it is not advisable for people to wait for a new or modified vaccine in the hope that it will be more effective against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Do vaccines to children between 5 and 11 years of age protect against virus transmission?
Recent studies have shown that the vaccine can reduce the likelihood of transmitting the infection to others.
In a large observational study conducted in Israel, those who had been vaccinated had a 90% reduction in the risk of asymptomatic infection compared to those who had not been vaccinated.
Furthermore, among those who become infected after vaccination, it appears that viral loads are lower than among infected persons who have not been vaccinated.
A lower viral load most likely leads to a reduced risk of transmission.
These encouraging data confirm what is already known about other vaccines such as measles, which is also effective in preventing transmission of the infection.
Note, even if vaccines reduce the risk of transmission, we cannot say that they eliminate it: the protective effect will never be 100%.
Consequently, until the number of cases has decreased and a greater percentage of the population has received the vaccines, we must remember that vaccination does not allow us to stop other important measures to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Wearing a mask, keeping your distance from others, washing your hands often and avoiding crowded indoor environments remain crucial strategies to reduce the risk of getting sick.
If my child has had Covid-19 and recovered, should he or she get the vaccine?
If you have had the infection (positive swab):
- a single dose of anti-SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccine is possible provided that the vaccination is carried out preferably within 6 months of confirmation of SARS-CoV-2
- assessment of antibody titres is not helpful in deciding whether to vaccinate
- if more than 12 months have elapsed since the illness, two doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be required to be adequately protected
If monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma have been taken for COVID-19 therapy, you will need to wait 90 days before taking COVID-19 vaccine.
Talk to your doctor if you are not sure what treatment you have received or if you have any other questions about getting the vaccination.
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