Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Resources

On this page:
Benefits of pediatric vaccination talking points
Vaccine administration tips
Find ways to decrease barriers for families
Resources

Benefits of pediatric vaccination talking points

Use these talking points to help convey the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for adolescents and children.

• Getting vaccinated helps keep children safe and healthy. COVID-19 is still spreading in our communities. We have more tools available — such as COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and medications — to help manage this disease, and it’s important for us to continue using these and other strategies to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
• Kids can get all the shots they need in the same day. There is no need to wait to give the COVID-19 vaccine if the child needs other vaccines at the same visit.
• The most common side effects are injection site pain, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever, and joint pain. Side effects occur more frequently following the second dose.
• Side effects are common. These side effects mean the immune system is responding to the vaccine. It's also OK if the child does not have side effects – people respond to the vaccine in different ways.

Vaccine administration tips

• Answer any questions the child or parent/guardian has about vaccination.
• Use comfort measures to decrease pain and anxiety. Suggest the child:
  • Listen to their favorite music with headphones.
  • Breathe! Take slow, deep breaths.
  • Make eye contact with a supportive person.
  • Close their eyes and think of a favorite place or activity.
  • Focus on something in the room, like a poster.

How to hold your child during a vaccination (PDF)
Fact sheet with images and instructions for different comfort holds. Created in partnership with Homeland Health Specialists. Updated 6/17/22.

Fainting (syncope) can be common among children immediately after getting shots. For this reason, experts recommend having patients sit in a chair or lay down when they receive a vaccination. In addition, patients may be observed for 15 minutes after vaccination. For more information, visit CDC: Fainting and Vaccines.

All vaccine administration has the risk of anaphylaxis. All adverse reactions and vaccine administration errors should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Find ways to decrease barriers for families

• Aim to offer multiple ways to schedule and/or allow walk-ins for COVID-19 vaccination.
• Extend hours: Try to offer early morning, evening, or weekend appointments for caregivers to bring in children for COVID-19 vaccination.
• Consider working with schools, local health departments, other local community organizations, or mobile vaccination units to help facilitate community vaccination drives specifically for children and families from areas with high social vulnerability factors.
• Find a list of MDH's COVID-19 Community Coordinators and Engagement Contractors at COVID-19 Contracts for Diverse Media Messaging and Community Outreach.
• The Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) can be used to identify patients in specific ZIP codes who have yet to receive COVID-19 vaccine and/or their routine immunizations. Using the client follow-up functionality in MIIC, providers can pull a list of clients and their contact information (including ZIP code). The user guidance for this function can be found at Client Follow-Up.

Reach out to highly impacted communities

Consider reaching out to children and families in communities that have experienced a high burden of COVID-19 disease and impact, including:

• Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific Islander communities.
• Children with disabilities.
• Children with other medical comorbidities per CDC guidance: People with Certain Medical Conditions and COVID-19 Risk Factors.
• Children from households where the language spoken is not English (e.g., Somali, Spanish, etc.).
• Children on Medicaid/Minnesota Health Care Programs.

Resources

• CDC: Vaccines for Your Children
• CDC: Make Shots Less Stressful for Your Child
• Immunize.org: How to Administer Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Vaccine Injections (PDF)
• Immunize.org: Skills Checklist for Vaccine Administration (PDF)
• CDC Immunization Education and Training: You Call the Shots