DHS Briefing - COVID-19 vaccine for under 5 year olds

What:

DHS experts will answer questions about COVID-19 vaccinations for children 6 months through 5 years old

Who:

• Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake, Wisconsin Department of Health Services  
• Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer, DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases
• Dr. Smriti Khare, pediatrician and chief mental and behavioral health officer, Children’s Wisconsin, also representing the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

When:

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that children ages 6 months through 5 years should be vaccinated against COVID-19. Children within this age group can begin receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations this week as shipments of both authorized Pfizer and Moderna vaccines continue to arrive in Wisconsin and are being distributed across the state. 

The announcement follows the authorization and recommendation by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC for use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years of age as well as the Moderna vaccine for children 6 months through 5 years of age. This means that everyone 6 months and older is now eligible to receive vaccination against COVID-19. 

“This news is critically important to the health of families across Wisconsin, making nearly 300,000 additional Wisconsin children eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “Whether they are at day care, school, playing with their friends, or spending time with family, vaccinating your kids means they can do the things they love while also staying safe and healthy. We urge parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible to protect them and their families, friends, and loved ones from the virus.”