Covid-19 Vaccines
COVID-19 vaccination is the safest and most effective way to prevent complications of COVID-19 infection such as hospitalization, MIS-C, long-COVID, and death. While most children who become infected with COVID-19 recover, and many of those infections are mild, not all are so lucky. And we are still learning about the long-term consequences of COVID-19 infections.
COVID-19 vaccines are exceedingly safe. Like every other vaccine, they do not provide 100% immunity, and with increasingly contagious variants we do see more breakthrough infections. Despite this, they remain highly effective at preventing complications. Our support of COVID vaccination is not just empty words; every single one of us with children, as well as every pediatrician we know, have vaccinated their infants, children, and teens as soon as they were eligible.
Call now to make an appointment for your child to be vaccinated.
We carry both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for this age group. The Pfizer vaccine is a 3 dose series carried out over a minimum of 11 weeks, and the Moderna vaccine is currently a 2 dose series, 4 weeks apart.
There is currently no booster for this age group.
It's Your Turn! COVID Vaccines for Kids Under 5 Have Arrived
What should parents know about the COVID vaccine for kids under 5? (American Academy of Pediatrics)
COVID Vaccines for Kids 6 Months & Older: FAQs for Families (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Children 5 - 11 years old need two doses of the Pfizer vaccine 3 weeks apart. The newer bivalent COVID-19 booster is available for this age group a minimum of 2 months from the second primary dose or the previous booster. We recommend staying up-to-date on boosters for maximum protection.
Moderna vaccine is also approved for this age group, but we do not have it available.
The Science Behind COVID-19 Vaccines: Parent FAQs (American Academy of Pediatrics)
When Can Kids Get the COVID-19 Vaccine or Booster? (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Adolescents 12 years and older need two doses of the Pfizer vaccine 3 weeks apart. The newer bivalent COVID-19 booster is available for this age group a minimum of 2 months from the second primary dose or the previous booster. We recommend staying up-to-date on boosters for maximum protection.
Moderna vaccine is also approved for this age group, but we do not have it available.
Do Healthy Young People Need the COVID-19 Vaccine? (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Does the COVID-19 vaccine cause myocarditis? (American Academy of Pediatrics)
When can Kids Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in our office
We have Pfizer vaccine for all ages 6 months and older, and Moderna for ages 6 month through 5 years only. We have the Pfizer bivalent booster for ages 5 and up. We have COVID-19 vaccine clinics in our office most weeks; these are by appointment. For most ages we have enough vaccine available to be able to give it at any regularly scheduled appointments as well. When supply is limited, some may only be available during designated vaccine clinic days.
- Please reschedule if you have had a positive COVID test or a COVID exposure in the last 10 days, or are sick.
- Don't give acetaminophen or ibuprofen before the vaccine; this can blunt the body's immune response.
- You will need to wait 15 minutes after the vaccine to monitor for an allergic reaction (these are rare).
- You will receive a vaccine card with your first dose; please bring it to your other COVID vaccine appointments
- Your child is not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after the final dose of a primary series.
Getting your COVID-19 vaccine elsewhere
The Oregon Health Authority has a page with the latest updates on vaccination sites, or you can search at Vaccines.gov.
Please let us know if your child or adolescent received their COVID-19 vaccine elsewhere so we can update their records.
COVID-19 vaccine side effects
Vaccine side effects are similar in children and teens to what adults experience, although these younger age groups often have milder side effects. These side effects include:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Chills
- Joint pain
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Pain at the injection site (sore arm)
Acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be used for fever or pain. Moving the arm or leg where the injection was given is helpful, as is rest and hydration.
Sign up for V-safe
V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to give personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Through v-safe, you can quickly tell CDC if you have any side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. This information helps CDC monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in real time.
Learn how to register your child for v-safe.
Trustworthy COVID-19 Vaccine Resources
Questions and Answers about COVID-19 Vaccines from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Vaccine Education Center.
Gretchen LaSalle, MD is a pediatrician with many helpful articles about the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 Resources from Boost Oregon.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a number of articles and FAQs on their Healthy Children website.
Unsure About COVID Vaccines? Information to Consider and How to Learn More from OHSU.
Videos About COVID-19 Vaccines
How COVID Vaccines Work, a video for children from Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
How COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Work, from the Vaccine Makers Project, shows how your body uses the mRNA vaccine with beautifully done graphics. They have many other videos covering everything from COVID-19 viral vector vaccines to how antibodies work.
Pediatricians Answer Your COVID-19 Questions, from the AAP.
A pediatric cardiologist talks about Myocarditis and COVID-19.
COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs
They can get their COVID-19 vaccine after the 10 days of isolation is over, as long as their symptoms are resolved. Waiting 2-3 months may lead to a better vaccine response, but with Omicron infections there is a risk of a new infection during this time, as Omicron infection provides very little immunity.
If it was given by us or we have a copy of it, we can either provide you with a copy of your vaccine records, or you can download it on the patient portal. If the vaccine was given in Oregon, we can access your records from the Oregon ALERT Immunization Information System.
You can also visit Oregon's Electronic COVID-19 Vaccine Record system to get a link to a QR code and electronic copy of your COVID-19 Vaccine. If you want to share proof of vaccination, you can use either the electronic version or other print/save versions available from the system.
There are many things that can affect frequency and severity of periods, such as stress and even minor illnesses. While that can make it difficult to study the effect of one factor out of many, systemic symptoms and immune reaction are plausible reasons to see a change in periods; and there are ongoing studies looking into the vaccine's effects. One survey of over 39,000 subjects reported that 42% bled more heavily after the vaccine, and 44% had no change. Fortunately any effects only last a couple of cycles, and the vaccine absolutely does not affect puberty or fertility. (MUSC, AAP)
A newer study, explained here by a gynecologist, noted cycle changes primarily in people who had received both doses of their series within the same menstrual cycle. Cycle length returned to baseline within 6 cycles.
The CDC recommends getting the dose that is appropriate for the age the child is on the they are vaccinated, but there are dosing options for those turning 5 between doses.
There is a different vaccine schedule for children who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and need extra doses.