COVID-19 Vaccinations for children

Content verified January 17, 2023

 

Vaccinations are important for every age group as they reduce the likelihood of a COVID-19 infection and the possibility of serious illness from an infection. Children who are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations are less likely to miss school or childcare due to illness or exposures.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Children ages 6 months - 4 years: Should receive a 3-dose primary series, and no booster.

  • The first and second doses use the monovalent vaccine, and are separated by 3-8 weeks.
  • The third dose uses the bivalent vaccine. The second and third dose are separated by at least 8 weeks.

Children ages 5 - 11 years: Should receive a 2-dose primary series, and a bivalent booster.

  • The first and second doses use the monovalent vaccine, and are separated by 3-8 weeks.
  • The second dose and the bivalent booster dose are separated by at least 2 months. See booster details.

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

Children ages 6 months - 5 years: Should receive a 2-dose primary series separated by 4-8 weeks. See booster details.

Children's Vaccine Information for Caregivers

Many locations offer children’s appointments

1

Check with your child’s health care provider

 
2

Check with pharmacies

Use Maryland's Vaccine Locator, including pharmacies

3

Check County-run clinics

You must make an appointment for your child to get their COVID-19 vaccine at a County-run clinic. We cannot accept walk-ups—no exceptions. We plan our clinics’ vaccine supply so no leftover doses are wasted at the end of the day.

If you need technical help making your child’s appointment, call the COVID-19 Call Center at 240-777-2982 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). When online appointments are full, the Call Center does not have more appointments available.

Make a County-run clinic appointment

Our general children’s clinics have vaccine doses for children ages 5 to 11. These clinics will have a small numer of doses for people age 12 and older.

Clinics for children 6 months to 5 years will only offer those vaccines as there is special packaging and dosing.

Prepare for your child’s appointment

Have your child wear clothing with easy access to the upper arm. We will ask them to roll up a sleeve to receive their vaccine dose.

Arrive no more than 15 minutes early for your child’s appointment. Every child with an appointment is guaranteed to get vaccinated during the clinic they were registered for.

Plan your bus trip to take transit to your child’s clinic.