IDPH Joins CDC in Recommending COVID Booster Dose for Those Ages 5 to 11

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Published on May 20 2022 2:33 pm
Last Updated on May 20 2022 2:34 pm

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced Friday that it supports yesterday’s recommendation by the CDC of the Pfizer-BioNTechCOVID-19 booster dose for children aged 5 to 11 years old. IDPH issued an advisory to vaccine providers throughout the state endorsing the booster for children 5 through 11 years of age at least five months after completion of a primary series with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, following the emergency use authorization this week by the FDA and the recommendation of the CDC.

“We encourage every parent or guardian of children five and older to consider a booster vaccination for their eligible child,” said IDPH Director Amaal Tokars. “And if your children have not yet received their primary dose, it’s not too late to start now. Everyone who is eligible for vaccination should be taking advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated and boosted. Vaccination remains the strongest way to protect yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19.”

In recommending the booster dose for children aged 5 to 11, the CDC noted that since the pandemic began, more than 4.8 million children ages 5 through 11 have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 15,000 have been hospitalized, and over 180 have died.