FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COVID Bivalent Boosters Authorized for Children 6 months to 5 years of age
Updated boosters protect from new virus strains as winter and holiday activities arrive
Media Contact: Mike Bordogna, County Manager, 970.728.3844, mikeb@sanmiguelcountyco.gov
Lindsey Mills, Public Information Consultant, lindseym@sanmiguelcountyco.gov
(December 14, 2022) – San Miguel County, CO --- Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the Emergency Use Authorizations of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to include children 6 months to 4 or 5years of age respectively. Following the FDA’s authorization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines to children as young as 6 months of age. The updated COVID-19 boosters aim to build immunity against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.
Children 6 months through 5 years of age who received the original Moderna vaccine are now eligible to receive a single booster of the updated Moderna vaccine two months after completing their primary series with the original Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, children 6 months through 4 years of age who have not yet begun their three-dose primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or have not yet received the third dose of their primary series will now receive the updated Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as the third dose in their primary series following two doses of the original Pfizer vaccine.
Children 6 months through 5 years of age are required to receive two doses of monovalent COVID-19 vaccine before receiving a dose of bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. If a child has already received a booster or completed their three-dose series of the original Pfizer vaccine, they are not eligible for a fourth booster dose of an updated vaccine at this time.
“Updated vaccines are integral to protecting kids from new COVID strains and the long-term side-effects of infection,” said Public Health Director Grace Franklin. “Especially as we head into the holidays and winter months, we encourage all those eligible to protect themselves as the virus changes and immunity from previous vaccinations wanes.”
Primary series doses and updated booster doses should be the same vaccine brand for children 6 months through 4 years of age as mix and match dosing is not authorized for this age group. only Children who are 5 years of age that have completed a two-dose primary COVID series may receive either Moderna or Pfizer as their updated booster dose.
Public Health recommends discussing booster options for children with their primary care provider or with Public Health by emailing publichealth@sanmiguelcountyco.gov.
A vaccine clinic for children 6 months through 5 years of age will be held on Wednesday, December 21 from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm at the San Miguel County Public Health offices at 333 W Colorado Ave on the third floor in Telluride. Visit bit.ly/smcvaccine to register your child for their updated Pfizer or Moderna booster today.
# # #