The bivalent COVID-19 boosters made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have both recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for children ages 6 months and older. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and other healthcare providers will begin offering these bivalent boosters, which target the omicron variant, during the second week of December.
According to a DOH press release, children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years who received the two original Moderna vaccines are eligible to receive the Moderna booster two months after their last dose.
The Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster will be administered to children ages 6 months to 4 years old who have not started or completed the original three-shot Pfizer BioNTech vaccine series. The updated booster will be administered as the third dose upon completing the first two. Children ages 6 months to 4 years old who have completed the three-shot Pfizer BioNTech series are not currently eligible for the updated booster.
With the rise in pediatric hospitalizations in Washington state due to respiratory illnesses, DOH recommends parents and guardians of children 6 months and older prioritize updating their children’s vaccines to provide an added layer of protection against severe illnesses.
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