Vaccines for children: COVID-19
Ready to vaccinate?
On this page
- Importance of vaccination
- Vaccination after being infected with COVID-19
- Possible side effects
- How the vaccines are studied and tested for children and youth
- Have a positive vaccination experience
- Vaccines approved for children and youth
- Protect unvaccinated children
Importance of vaccination
COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the mental and physical well-being of children, youth and their families.
Although children and youth are less likely to get really sick from COVID-19, they can still:
- get sick from COVID-19
- be infected and not have any symptoms
- spread COVID-19 to others
- experience longer-term effects if they do get infected
- get a rare but serious complication called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)
- this is a condition that can occur several weeks after COVID-19
- MIS-C involves inflammation in the body and it can affect the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs
- symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and skin rash
- the majority of children and adolescents in Canada who have had this condition have fully recovered with treatment
Children and youth with certain underlying medical conditions may have a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccines help the body fight off the virus. Like adults, children and youth are well protected against severe illness 14 days after their second dose. How long protection lasts is still being evaluated.
Learn more about:
- Post COVID-19 condition (long-term symptoms)
- COVID-19: People at high risk of more severe illness or disease outcomes
- Vaccination coverage by age, sex, and province or territory
- COVID-19: Effectiveness and benefits of vaccination
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
- Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccine questions: Benefits and effectiveness
Vaccination after being infected with COVID-19
Those who have already had COVID-19 should still get vaccinated to protect themselves from getting infected again.
Children and youth who experienced a COVID-19 infection before receiving their first or second dose of their primary series should wait:
- 2 months after symptoms started or
- 2 months after testing positive if they didn’t experience any symptoms
Youth 12 to 17 years of age eligible for a booster dose should wait:
- 3 months after symptoms started or from the date of a positive test and
- at least 6 months after their second dose
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Definition of primary series
- Vaccination coverage by age, sex, and province or territory
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
Possible side effects
Side effects are expected as your body responds to a vaccine.
Some people have no side effects while others may have some type of reaction. Reactions are most often mild and go away by themselves within hours or days. The COVID-19 vaccine ingredients are no longer in the body after a few days. Only the immune response to protect against COVID-19 remains.
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Myocarditis and pericarditis
Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle, while pericarditis refers to inflammation of the lining that surrounds the outside of the heart.
Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been reported. Cases are:
- rare in youth and adults, and very rare in children
- usually mild and people usually recover quickly after receiving medical care
Data has shown that cases occur less often with the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine compared to the Moderna Spikevax vaccine in people 12 to 29 years of age.
For the primary series, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine be given over the Moderna Spikevax vaccine.
Talk to your health care provider about the timing for your child’s second dose.
Learn more about:
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Vaccine safety and side effects
- Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccines questions: Safety, ingredients and side effects
How the vaccines are studied and tested for children and youth
Clinical trials looked at the immune response, safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. For instance, for the primary series the:
- Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine was tested in children 5 to 11 years of age
- Moderna Spikevax vaccine was tested in children 6 to 11 years of age
- Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna Spikevax vaccines were tested in youth 12 to 17 years of age
In these studies:
- no safety issues were detected
- the vaccines were shown to provide very good protection against COVID-19 in the 2 months after vaccination
Health Canada continues to monitor reactions reported following vaccination. Millions of children have safely received the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine in Canada and around the world. The evidence continues to demonstrate that the vaccine:
- is effective against severe outcomes
- has known and potential risks that can be treated
Serious side effects continue to be very rare.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Definition of primary series
- COVID-19: How effective the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine was in protecting trial participants
- COVID-19: How effective the Moderna Spikevax vaccine was in protecting trial participants
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
- Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccines questions: Development, review and approval
Monitoring for safety
Vaccine manufacturers continue to collect information about safety from clinical trial participants. Canada’s vaccine safety monitoring system also helps to detect any possible rare side effects that didn’t appear in the clinical trials.
Canada also has a safety surveillance system in place that’s specifically designed for monitoring pediatric vaccinations. The Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive (IMPACT) is a pediatric, hospital-based network administered by the Canadian Paediatric Society. It has been used to monitor childhood immunizations, such as measles, mumps and rubella, for more than 20 years.
In addition, monitoring is also done by:
- Health Canada
- the Public Health Agency of Canada
- the National Advisory Committee on Immunization
These organizations continue to monitor the COVID-19 vaccines for safety as they become more widely used in Canada and around the world.
Learn more about:
- Vaccine development and approval in Canada
- COVID-19: How vaccines are developed (video)
- COVID-19 mRNA vaccines
- Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccines questions: Monitoring safety after approval
Have a positive vaccination experience
Children and youth may have concerns about vaccination. Knowing what to expect can help ease worries and make vaccination a positive experience for your family.
Learn more about:
- Vaccines for COVID-19: What to expect at your vaccination
- Vaccines for children: What to expect at the vaccination appointment
Have a family discussion about vaccination
Talk to children and youth about the importance of getting vaccinated.
- Tell them about vaccination using age-appropriate language.
- Tell them what will happen and how it will feel.
- Communicate using neutral language.
- Try using words such as 'pressure' or 'poke' to describe how it might feel.
- Avoid misleading information like 'it won't hurt.'
- Answer their questions and tell them what you'll do to help make it a better experience.
- Teach them about false information, and make sure they know to:
- ask questions if they aren't sure
- verify information before sharing it with others
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
- Ask the experts video series: COVID-19 vaccines questions
- COVID-19 resources for youth, students and young adults: Be safe online
- Canada’s Centre for Digital Literacy’s Check First, Share After campaign
- Canadian Paediatric Society: How can we talk to kids about COVID-19?
At the vaccination appointment
For the vaccination appointment, pick coping strategies based on each child’s needs and preferences. Try:
- distraction (such as toys, games, music, talking or watching videos)
- relaxation techniques (such as deep belly breathing)
- medication to numb the skin (topical anesthetic)
- this medication dulls the sensation from the needle, and you can get it from the pharmacy without a prescription
- medication should be applied 30 to 60 minutes before the appointment, so plan ahead
If your child is very afraid of needles, talk to your health care provider about it. They might suggest treatment with an expert such as a psychologist. Treating needle fear can help children to accept vaccination and other needle procedures.
Learn more about:
Vaccines approved for children and youth
Children (5 to 11 years old)
Health Canada has approved the:
- Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old
- Moderna Spikevax vaccine for children 6 to 11 years old
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for children use a smaller dose than for those who are 12 years of age and older. This is because, in clinical trials, lower doses provided children with very good protection against COVID-19. How long protection lasts in children and youth is still being evaluated.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that:
- children 5 to 11 years old receive 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine and
- the second dose is given at least 8 weeks after the first dose
Children who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should receive 3 doses. The recommended interval is 4 to 8 weeks between each dose. Children who turn 12 before their second dose should receive an adult dose for their second dose.
The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine is preferred for children 5 to 11 years old. This is because more data is available from the real-world use of this vaccine. Millions of children have safely received this vaccine in Canada and around the world.
Learn more about:
- Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine
- Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
- Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccines questions: How the approved vaccines work
Youth (12 to 17 years old)
Health Canada has approved the following mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for youth 12 years of age and older:
- Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine
- Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine
It’s recommended that youth 12 to 17 years old receive 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that the second dose be given 8 weeks after the first dose.
Youth that are moderately to severely immunocompromised should receive 3 doses as part of their primary series. The recommended interval is 4 to 8 weeks between each dose.
Some youth may be at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 infection. In such cases, youth may receive a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine 6 months after completing their primary series.
The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine is preferred for youth 12 to 29 years old for both the primary series and booster dose. This is to further minimize the rare risk of myocarditis following vaccination in this age group.
Adults and youth may receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time, or any time before or after, other vaccines.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Definition of primary series
- Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine
- Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine
- COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects: Myocarditis and pericarditis
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
- Ask the experts COVID-19 vaccines questions: How the approved vaccines work
Protect unvaccinated children
Unvaccinated people are more likely to get sick from COVID-19 compared to those who are vaccinated. Vaccinating those who interact with children, including caregivers, will help to protect children.
Regardless of your vaccination status, continue to:
- follow all local public health and setting-specific restrictions and recommendations
- choose lower-risk activities and settings
- layer multiple individual public health measures, which are:
- staying home when sick
- wearing a well-fitting mask (preferably a medical mask or respirator, such as an N95 or KN95)
- cleaning your hands regularly
- stay home when you’re sick
It's important to respect choices made by caregivers. We'll continue to provide updates as more data emerges to help caregivers make an informed decision about COVID-19 vaccination.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Personal preventive practices
- COVID-19 mask use: Types of masks and respirators
- My COVID-19 visit risk calculator
- COVID-19: Provincial and territorial resources
- COVID-19: Making vaccination decisions for children 5 to 11 years of age
Related links
- What you should know about vaccines for COVID-19
- COVID-19: Vaccine safety and side effects
- Vaccines for COVID-19: What to expect at your vaccination
- Get the facts: Vaccinating children against COVID-19 (printable poster)
- Number of COVID-19 vaccines given
- Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy: Educational games
- Date modified: