Kids eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at this time should get the shots as soon as possible. This includes 11 year olds who would get a larger dose when they turn 12. The sooner a child can be vaccinated, the better for everyone.

Unlike some medications, height and weight are not very important when considering vaccine dosages against COVID-19. The dosage for COVID-19 vaccines are based on age, not size. Children aged 5-11 receive 10 microgram injections three weeks apart. Kids 12-17 and older get 30 microgram dosages three weeks apart. Children still produce very robust immune system responses with smaller dosages.

As children age, their immune systems become less efficient because of changes in immune responses that happen when puberty begins; hence the reason for the smaller dose in younger children.

The vaccine was found to be roughly 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 through 11 which is important because 39% of cases in children under 18 are among children in the younger age group.

According to clinical trial data for the 5-11 population, vaccine side effects are likely more mild for children than for adults and include injection site pain (sore arm), redness and swelling, fatigue, headache, muscle and/or joint pain, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and decreased appetite. Side effects appear to be more common after the second dose than the first and were mostly considered mild to moderate, generally dissipating within one to two days. The most commonly cited side effects were pain at the injection site, fatigue and headache and muscle aches.

As dosage levels for children are higher for children 12 years of age and older, many parents are facing the choice of whether or not to wait to have their child vaccinated with a larger dose when they turn 12. The majority of health experts suggest getting children vaccinated as soon as possible instead of waiting.