When Will the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Available for Children?

As the vaccine rollout continues across America, families are wondering when their children will be eligible for inoculation against COVID-19.

Dr. Juan Salazar, M.D, physician-in-chief at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, says that unless any member of your family is a healthcare or frontline worker, has an underlying medical condition, or is in the high-risk age category, it’s unlikely that your adult household will be vaccinated until the spring of 2021. And vaccines for children under the age of 16 will not be available for months after that, he said.

The Pfizer vaccine has only been authorized for ages 16 and up. The Moderna vaccine has been approved for those 18 years and older. Both companies are conducting clinical trials for younger kids, says Salazar, so hopefully we will have a pediatric vaccine by the end of 2021.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued an urgent appeal to vaccine manufacturers to consider the safety of children when developing antiviral drugs to fight COVID-19.

While children have a relatively low risk of severe complications from COVID-19, they can spread the disease to vulnerable adults, according to Axios. “If you protect children, then you will reduce community spread and protect adults, so it’s more of a herd community rather than a specific immunity question,” said John P. Moore, Ph. D., professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. “If you need 70% protection in herd immunity, at some point you will need to include children in that.”

Salazar says that in the meantime, you can protect your family by continuing to wear masks, social distancing, and practicing good hand hygiene.

“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he says. “But we need to get everyone through the tunnel safely.”