| | What are the COVID-19 vaccines recommended for children? |
| A: | Children aged 6 months to 4 years - 2 doses of Moderna/Spikevax vaccine, OR 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine.
Children aged 5 years to 11 years - 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine.
Children aged 12 years to 17 years - 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, OR 3 doses of Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine.
Children who were aged below 5 years who had completed their vaccination (i.e. with 2 doses of Moderna/Spikevax or 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty), should receive a further dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine after they turn 5 years old, and had received their last vaccine dose at least 5 months ago to achieve minimum protection. |
| | Are there any children who shouldn’t get vaccinated?
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| A: | There is no category of children or teens who absolutely shouldn’t get the vaccine, unless they have a known allergy to other vaccines or one of the vaccine’s components.
People with weakened immune systems, either from illness or medication, may still receive the vaccine because it isn’t a live vaccine i.e. a vaccine that uses a weakened form of a germ to prompt an immune response.
There have been reports of allergic reactions to the vaccine, but these occurrences are very rare.
Vaccine recipients are monitored for 30 minutes after receiving the injection in case of any allergic reaction. Children and teens with other types of allergies outside of those related to vaccines can feel safe receiving the vaccine.
Children or teens who recently received other vaccinations should wait two weeks before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
If you child has any medical condition that is not stable or is getting worse, he or she should postpone the vaccination until the medical condition is better controlled.
If your child has cancer and is on active chemotherapy, you should consult your child’s cancer specialist to discuss if or when your child can be vaccinated.
Parents are always encouraged to speak with their teen’s or child’s doctor/pediatrician if they have any questions or concerns.
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| | Could my child/ward use different types of vaccine?
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| A: | Children aged 6 months to 4 years should receive two doses of Moderna/Spikevax OR three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty. They should not use different vaccine brands for these doses.
Children aged 5 years to 17 years should receive three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Novavax/Nuvaxovid, as applicable, and not use different vaccine brands for the three doses.
For children who have turned 5 years old, they will receive a dose of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, regardless if they had two doses of Moderna/Spikevax or three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty when they were below 5 years. |
| | Which vaccine should my child/ward receive?
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| | Children aged 6 months to 4 years are recommended to receive two doses of Moderna/Spikevax. The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine may also be used as an alternative to the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine for this age group. Parents should note that the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine option requires 3 doses taken over 16 weeks, compared to 2 doses taken over 8 weeks for the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine, and therefore more vaccination visits and a longer period to achieve optimal protection.
Children aged 5 to 17 years are recommended to receive 3 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine. Children aged 12 years and above may receive Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine as an alternative to Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine.
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| | Will my child/ward still receive the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna/Spikevax vaccine if he/she turns 5 years on the day of their first dose?
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| A: | Children who turn 5 years on the day of their first dose will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine for children aged between 5 to 11 years. Those who received the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine when they were below 5 years will continue to receive the same vaccine and dosage as their second dose, even if they have turned 5 years between the first and second vaccine doses. Those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine when they were below 5 years will continue to receive the same vaccine and dosage for their subsequent doses, even if they have turned 5 years between any of the vaccine doses. |
| | The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty’s dosage for persons aged 5 to 11 years is higher than the dosage for persons aged 6 months to 4 years. What dosage will my child/ward receive if he/she turns 5 years between his vaccine doses?
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A:
| Those who received the dosage for persons aged 6 months to 4 years for their first dose will continue to receive the same dosage for their second and third doses, even if they have turned 5 years between the vaccine doses.
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| | The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty’s dosage for persons aged 12 years and above is higher than the dosage for persons aged 5 to 11 years. What dosage will my child/ward receive if he/she turns 12 years between his vaccine doses?
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| A: | Those who received the dosage for persons aged 5 to 11 years for their first dose will continue to receive the same dosage for their second dose, even if they have turned 12 years between the first and second vaccine doses.
Those who turn 12 years before their third dose will, for the dose, receive the dosage for persons aged 12 years and above. |
| | If my child/ward was infected with COVID-19 is he/she recommended to continue with COVID-19 vaccination? If so, when should he/she take the vaccine?
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| A: | Children aged 5 to 17 years are recommended to complete a total of three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine, as applicable, regardless of a previous COVID-19 infection.
Similarly, children aged 6 months to 4 years should complete a total of two doses of the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine OR three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Cominarty vaccine, regardless of a previous COVID-19 infection.
Persons who are infected and due for vaccination may receive the vaccination from 28 days after the infection, although they are recommended to do so three months from the infection for better effectiveness. |
| | What is the recommended interval between doses in children below 12 years old?
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| A: | For children aged 6 months to 4 years, the recommended interval between two doses of the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine is eight weeks, and the recommended interval between each of the three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine is eight weeks.
For children aged 5 to 11 years, the recommended interval between the first and second doses of the vaccine is eight weeks. The recommended interval between the second and third dose is five months. |
| | Can my child/ward choose to take the vaccination later?
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| A: | We encourage all medically eligible children to take up the vaccine when offered to them. COVID-19 can result in severe disease, even in children without pre-existing medical conditions. Vaccination have been shown to substantially reduce the likelihood of severe disease when one is infected.
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