NEWS: COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Ages 5 to 11 Approved by CDC

To ensure we are equipping our readers with all the information they need, we will continue to report on all travel, safety, and COVID-related news that could impact a Disney Parks visit.

Over the past several months, we’ve been keeping an eye out for updates regarding the COVID-19 situation in Florida, travel restrictions, and more to help you best plan for your upcoming trips.

COVID-19 Health and Safety Sign

For quite some time, the COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for adults and for those ages 12+. But, now we’ve got an update regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for those with younger children.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. health officials have approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

The FDA had already authorized the use of these doses for kids ages 5 to 11. The doses have a third of the amount provided to teens and adults. Now, both a CDC advisory panel and the CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, have approved the use of the vaccine for children in that age group.

Health & Safety Reminders

The CDC has indicated that the first injections for those in this younger category could begin “as soon as possible.”

The vaccine will operate similarly to the adult version, where 5-to-11-year-olds will receive two of the lower doses 3 weeks apart from one another. The shot will be administered using a smaller needle. The shots also come with orange caps, so it isn’t confused with the adult version of the vaccine, which features a purple cap. Pfizer has already began to ship millions of these doses to states, doctors’ offices, and pharmacies for use.

Hand Sanitizer

During the studies conducted by Pfizer, they found that the “kid-size vaccine is nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19.” The FDA examined more kids, reaching a total of over 3,000 who were vaccinated, and concluded the shots are safe.

According to the FDA studies, the younger kids experienced “similar or fewer reactions — such as sore arms, fever or achiness — than teens or young adults get after larger doses.” However, AP News shares that the study wasn’t large enough to detect any extremely rare side effects. AP shares that “Regulators ultimately decided the benefits from vaccination outweigh the potential that younger kids getting a smaller dose also might experience that rare risk.”

Health and Safety Signage at Disneyland

Pfizer is also in the process of testing vaccinations for preschoolers and babies with data expected to be obtained by the end of this year. Moderna has also been working to release vaccines for teens and younger children, although the FDA hasn’t cleared the use of the Moderna vaccine for those younger individuals yet.

We’ll keep an eye out for more updates.