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COVID-19 vaccine recommendations have been extended to include children aged 5 and under. Beginning Tuesday, parents and legal guardians could schedule appointments for children ages 6 months to 5 years old at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin.

COVID-19 vaccine recommendations in the U.S. have been expanded to include children ages 6 months to 5 years, following meetings of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on June 17 and 18.

COVID-19 vaccines have been used under the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This includes studies in children 6 months to 5 years of age.

The new vaccine recommendations include:

Children ages 6 months to 4 years of age can receive a three-dose primary series of the Pfizer vaccine or a two-dose primary series of the Moderna vaccine.

Children who are 5 years old can receive a two-dose primary series of either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine.

Mayo Clinic recommends that everyone, including children, be vaccinated for COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of getting infected with COVID-19, or of becoming seriously ill or dying if infected. The more children who are vaccinated, the harder it is for COVID-19 to spread and produce variants. 

This also keeps daycares and schools open and available.

Parents and legal guardians may schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments by using their Patient Online Services caregiver account or by contacting their local primary care location.

Patients eligible will also be contacted through Patient Online Services to schedule an appointment.