When and where can my child get vaccinated against COVID-19?

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), everyone 6 years and older should get 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of whether they’ve received any original COVID-19 vaccines.

What You Need to Know

• Everyone aged 6 years and older should get 1 updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date.
• People aged 65 years and older may get a 2nd dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
• People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
• Children aged 6 months–5 years may need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date, including at least 1 dose of updated Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, depending on the number of doses they’ve previously received and their age.
• COVID-19 vaccine recommendations will be updated as needed.

*According to the CDC: The updated (bivalent) boosters are called “bivalent” because they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5. The virus that causes COVID-19 has changed over time. The different versions of the virus that have developed over time are called variants. Learn more about variants of the COVID-19 virus.

Where Can My Child Get Vaccinated?

• The federal government is providing COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to everyone living in the United States, regardless of their immigration or health insurance status.
• To book your vaccination appointments or find a walk-in clinic, visit myturn.ca.gov or speak to your health care provider today.
• Check your local pharmacy’s website to see if vaccination walk-ins or appointments are available for children.
• Contact your state, territorial, local, or tribal health department for more information.
• Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.

Additional Details:

• As stated by the CDC, COVID-19 vaccine dosage is based on age on the day of vaccination, not on size or weight. Children get a smaller dose of COVID-19 vaccine than teens and adults that is the right amount for their age group.

• Evidence indicates that people can get added protection by getting vaccinated after they have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. For children who have been infected, their next dose can be delayed 3 months from when symptoms started or, if they did not have symptoms, when they received a positive test. If your child tests positive for COVID-19 after getting a shot, they should wait until their isolation period has ended before getting their next dose.

• Routine vaccination is an important preventive care service that should not be delayed. If your child receives multiple vaccines in a single visit, each injection will be given in a different injection site, according to recommendations by age.