Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
COVID-19 & Children
As the rates of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations among children and teenagers reach record levels, Ochsner is here to provide reliable facts about vaccinating and protecting children. COVID-19 vaccines are available now to anyone 6 months old or older. The Pfizer vaccine is available to children ages 6 months to 17 years. The Moderna vaccine is available to children ages 6 months to 5 years.
If you're interested in scheduling a vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years, please schedule via MyOchsner or contact your pediatrician.
Omicron boosters are now available for patients 12 and older.
Appointments are now open for the COVID-19 bivalent (Omicron) vaccine at Ochsner Health. Please visit myochsner.org or call 844-888-2772 to make your appointment at a convenient location. Patients must be 12 years or older and have waited at least two months after their last COVID-19 vaccine dose or booster.
Find vaccine locations near you
Children's COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19 Vaccine Availability
COVID-19 vaccines are available now to anyone 6 months or older. If you're interested in scheduling a vaccine for children ages 6 months or older, please schedule via MyOchsner or contact your pediatrician.
Scheduling a vaccine through MyOchsner:
- Log into MyOchsner account
- Select “COVID Vaccine and boosters”
- Answer questions and it will bring you to the location page
- Select location, providers and time
To make an appointment via phone, please call 844-888-2772.
To visit a vaccination event, please see our current availability here.
We recognize that people have a lot of questions about what they should do if they have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms or need a test. At Ochsner, we are here to help guide you through this process and have developed a COVID-19 Self-Care and Symptom Monitoring Program through MyOchsner.
COVID-19 Testing and Virtual Visits
COVID-19 Testing
For state-run testing locations in Louisiana, please visit https://ldh.la.gov/page/covid19-testing-sites
Virtual Visits
Ochsner Hospital for Children patients are now able to connect with their providers virtually for COVID-19 concerns. Please get in touch with your child's provider to discuss your virtual visit options.
Get the facts
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FACT: Vaccines are strongly encouraged for all kids ages 6 months to 18 years old.
The vaccines can help prevent your child from spreading COVID-19 to others, which is particularly important for kids who interact with older relatives and other adults at risk for severe illness from COVID-19. They can also help keep your child from getting seriously ill if they do get COVID-19.
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FACT: The vaccines are safe for children 6 months to 18 years old.
Despite misinformation swirling on the internet, the COVID-19 vaccines have been used under the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history, which includes studies in adolescents. These studies and the data collected on those who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine show there is no evidence that the vaccine poses any serious risk to young people.
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FACT: Your child cannot contract COVID-19 from getting the vaccine.
None of the vaccines being used in the U.S. contain a live virus, and therefore, they cannot infect anyone with COVID-19. As with vaccinated adults, vaccinated young adults and teenagers may experience mild, temporary side effects, but this is an indication of the immune response to the vaccination, not COVID-19.
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FACT: Younger people are more susceptible.
Unlike previous strains of the virus, the Delta variant is having a greater impact on infection rates and hospitalizations among children and younger people. A recent study showed that children and adults under age 50 were 2.5 times more likely to become infected with Delta compared to those older than 50 years. Our hospitals are caring for more children with COVID-19 now than at any other point in the pandemic.
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FACT: Multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a serious condition that largely impacts children during or immediately after a COVID-19 infection.
MIS in children is a serious, potentially deadly, condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. While the cause of MIS has not been fully confirmed, we know that many children with MIS had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been around someone with COVID-19. MIS is typically seen in school-aged children, but cases have been reported in young adults, which makes it important that all kids ages 5 and up get vaccinated. Children younger than 5 years are not yet eligible to get vaccinated. It’s important that parents and other caregivers of those children get vaccinated to protect them from being exposed to or infected with COVID-19. Children ages 12 and up are eligible to receive a Pfizer booster.
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Download the fact sheet about the vaccine and keeping kids safe at school.
Adolescent mental health during COVID – 19
Hear ideas on how to guide adolescents through ongoing uncertainty, while learning strategies to help with the anxieties and fears that accompany COVID-19 and related stressors.
"I don't feel sick, so why do I have to follow so many rules?"
"Why do I have to wash my hands if they look clean?"
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