Infants, children and adolescents aged 6 months–<18 years with a medical risk condition (including severe immunocompromise) can consider COVID-19 vaccine every year
Infants, children and adolescents aged 6 months–<18 years with a medical risk condition (including severe immunocompromise) can consider an annual dose of COVID-19 vaccine based on a risk benefit assessment.
Children aged 6 months–<5 years with severe immunocompromise or people who have had haematopoietic stem cell transplant or CAR-T cell therapy may have reduced immune response to vaccination and require 2 priming doses, given 8 weeks apart, when vaccinated or revaccinated for the first time.
Risk-benefit considerations for vaccination may include:
- Presence of medical risk conditions that increase the individual’s risk of severe disease: Some medical conditions independently increase the risk of severe COVID-19 but to a lesser extent than age.13 Populations with medical risk conditions are heterogeneous due to highly variable risk estimates across the literature. People with certain underlying conditions associated with the highest risk may benefit from COVID-19 vaccination such as those with immunocompromising conditions, cystic fibrosis, chromosomal abnormality and chronic neurological conditions.13-15
- Potential risks associated with COVID-19 vaccination: Most adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination are mild to moderate and self-limited. Very rare but serious adverse events such as myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported with the highest incidence amongst adolescent and young adult males after a second mRNA vaccine dose.6-8 No events of myocarditis or pericarditis were reported in clinical trials after vaccination in children aged 6 months–11 years and no events of myocarditis were reported in children aged 6 months–5 years in a large national surveillance system.16-18
- Individual’s personal (or parental) preferences: Personal or parental attitudes towards preventing severe COVID-19 and related complications may influence decisions about vaccination.
For additional information about conditions associated with increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, see Table. Example conditions associated with increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19.