Children As Young As 5 Can Now Get The New Covid Booster Shot
The Hawaii Department of Health is encouraging parents to schedule appointments for their children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has lowered the age of eligibility to 5 for children to get the bivalent Covid-19 booster shot.
The booster, , is a single dose of vaccine that targets the original strain of the coronavirus and the highly contagious subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which is the dominant strain in Hawaii.
The Pfizer version became available for people ages 12 and up last month, while Moderna’s minimum age was 18. Now younger kids can get it, too, as officials warn a winter coronavirus surge may be coming.
One made by Pfizer will be available for 5- to 11-year-olds, while Moderna has one for those as young as 6. Children will get kid-sized doses.
鈥淭his is great news for parents who want to protect their young children,鈥 state Health Director Elizabeth Char said Wednesday in a news release.
The kids can get the latest version at least two months after their last dose, whether that was their primary vaccination series or an earlier booster, the FDA said.
According to DOH spokesman Brooks Baehr, for their children immediately, depending on the pharmacy.
The state has ordered more than 14,000 doses of Pfizer鈥檚 booster, which may arrive in the coming days, he said.
On Wednesday,聽Hawaii reported , with five new deaths over the past week. More than 77% of the population has been fully vaccinated and 聽81.6% has received at least one booster shot.
