关于 5 岁至 11 岁儿童接种 COVID 疫苗的须知

为什么儿童现在应当接种疫苗及常见问题解答

国内所有 5 岁及以上的人现在都有资格接种 COVID-19 疫苗。孩子的父母和看护者均面临着作出如何保护孩子免受 COVID-19 病毒感染的决定，并他们对疫苗存在疑问。请继续阅读，以下是家庭关于作出孩子接种 COVID 疫苗的决定的问题，及其相关解答。 

疫苗对儿童安全吗？

让家长感到宽慰的是 COVID-19 疫苗已经接受并将继续接受美国历史上最严密的安全监控。我们以成千上万名儿童为研究对象展开了稳健的临床试验，旨在评估 COVID 疫苗的安全性以及该年龄组儿童对新冠疫苗免疫反应。在美国，疫苗的剂量将会更小，并且专门针对 5-11 岁年龄组的儿童配制。 

为什么儿童需要接种疫苗？

虽然与成年人相比，儿童在 COVID-19 病毒大流行早期感染新冠病毒的可能性更低，但是现在儿童感染这种疾病的频率却与成年人一样高。并且有些儿童的 COVID-19 病毒症状很严重，需要住院治疗。由于出现了传染性极强的德尔塔(Delta)变种，新的 COVID-19 病毒病例中，每5例中就有1例发生在儿童身上，有时更会对健康产生严重的及长期的影响。 

疫苗对儿童有什么副作用呢？

COVID-19 疫苗不太可能导致长期的健康问题。疫苗引发严重健康问题的风险低于未接种疫苗感染 COVID-19 病毒的风险。 COVID-19 病毒会给儿童以及成人带来心肺损伤和其他需要长期治疗的疾病。接种 COVID-19 疫苗的益处超过疫苗的任何潜在风险。让孩子接种疫苗将会给他们提供最强的预防 COVID-19 病毒感染的保护。 

为什么儿童现在应当接种疫苗？

现在疫苗可以保护更多的孩子，因为他们准备假期与家人团聚，由于天气寒冷，他们要长时间呆在室内，然后继续到学校上学。感染 COVID-19 病毒的儿童也可能将病毒传播给其他人，包括可能与他们生活在一起的年长家人。

在哪里可以为我的孩子找到疫苗？

5 岁及以上儿童的疫苗现在可以通过许多提供者获得，包括儿科医生、家庭医生、儿童医院、药店和社区卫生中心。超过 25,000 名儿科医生和初级保健提供者已经登记管理疫苗，而且人数还在增加。在联邦药房计划中，全国成千上万的当地药房为 5 至 11 岁的儿童以及青少年和成人提供疫苗接种。 COVID-19 疫苗是免费提供的。 

请浏览 www.vaccines.gov 寻找更多信息及疫苗提供地点。

What to Know About COVID Vaccines for Children Ages 5 Through 11

Why children should get vaccinated now and other FAQs

Every person in the country 5 years old and older is now eligible to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Parents and caregivers face decisions about protecting their children from COVID-19 and have questions about vaccines. Read on for answers to questions that families have about making a COVID vaccination decision for their children.

Are the vaccines safe for children?

Parents should take comfort that the COVID-19 vaccines have undergone – and will continue to undergo – the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Robust clinical trials featuring thousands of children were conducted to evaluate the safety and immune response to a COVID vaccine in this age group. In the United States, the vaccine will be given in a smaller dose and is specially formulated for children in the 5-11 age group. 

Why do children need to get vaccinated?

While children were less likely to get COVID-19 early in the pandemic compared with adults, kids now get the disease as often as adults. Some children develop serious COVID-19 symptoms requiring hospitalization. With the highly contagious Delta variant, 1 in 5 new COVID-19 cases have been in children and sometimes they have serious and long-term health effects. 

What are the side effects for children?

It’s very unlikely that COVID-19 vaccines will cause long-term health problems. The risk for serious health problems due to the vaccine is lower than the risk of health problems if they’re unvaccinated and get COVID-19. COVID-19 can leave children, as well as adults, with heart and lung damage and other conditions that require long-term treatment. The benefits from COVID-19 vaccines outweigh any potential risk from the vaccine. Getting your children vaccinated will give them the strongest possible protection from COVID-19. 

Why should children get the vaccine now?

Vaccines are now available to protect more kids as they prepare to gather with family during the holidays, spend more time indoors due to cold weather, and continue going to school in person. Children who are getting sick from COVID-19 can also spread the virus to others, including older families who may live with them.

Where can I find a vaccine for my children?

Vaccines for kids ages 5 and older are now available through a range of providers, including pediatricians, family doctors, children’s hospitals, pharmacies, and community health centers. More than 25,000 pediatricians and primary care providers have enrolled to administer vaccines, and the numbers are growing. Tens of thousands of local pharmacies across the country in the federal pharmacy program offer vaccination for kids ages 5 through 11, as well as for adolescents and adults. COVID-19 vaccines are given at no cost. 

For more information and to find a vaccine, visit www.vaccines.gov.