This week, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control authorized bivalent COVID-19 booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children who are 5-11 years old and Moderna vaccines for children 6 years and older. Booster doses were approved for older populations last month.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force recommends all eligible persons receive either of these bivalent boosters. Texas Children’s now has appointments available to administer both the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent booster doses. Details are below.
Pfizer
- Individuals 5 years of age and older
- At least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine
Moderna
- Individuals 6 years of age and older
- At least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine
Bivalent boosters
The bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, or updated boosters, include an mRNA component of the original strain to provide an immune response that is broadly protective against COVID-19 and an mRNA component in common between the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant.
If you or someone you know is eligible and would like to receive a booster through Texas Children’s, please click here.
For more information on boosters, please refer to this FAQ document on the Texas Children’s website.