With COVID-19 here to stay for the foreseeable future, many parents are left wondering how to protect their children. Schools are returning to in-person learning which can increase a child’s risk for potential exposure, and many parents are hopeful that vaccination can be an additional line of defense.
The FDA has approved 3 COVID-19 vaccines for adults (ages 18 years and older) including Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. At this time, only Pfizer has been approved for older teens ages 16 years and up.
IHCRC does not currently offer Pfizer and therefore we are unable to vaccinate anyone who is not yet 18 years old. However, Pfizer is offered at select facilities and we would encourage families to contact their tribe and other local IHS entities to determine if their 16 or 17 year old teen can receive the Pfizer vaccine elsewhere.
The public health community is hopeful that the FDA will be expanding the approved age brackets for COVID-19 vaccines to eventually include younger teens and older children as the year progresses.Please check with your child’s doctor or our IHCRC Facebook page frequently for the most up to date information regarding when your child can be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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