SHARE

With the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, many parents are scrambling to get their kids appointments. However, others are taking more of a wait-and-see attitude, which is perfectly understandable. After all, making medical decisions for our children is much different than making medical decisions for ourselves.

But parents who decide to wait should keep in mind that the Pfizer vaccine—the only one authorized for children in the US right now—requires two doses spaced three weeks apart for maximum efficacy. In addition, you are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after that second shot.

So if you’re hoping to have your child vaccinated by a certain date, they’ll need to start the process five weeks early. You can’t just show up a few days before an event or travel to have your child vaccinated and expect them to receive the shot’s full effects.

To help you plan, we’ve compiled a list of important dates through the rest of the school year, and when you’d need to start your child’s vaccination process. Remember that some people experience side effects after the vaccine, so plan on a day or two of recovery time after each shot.

Note: All school-related dates are for my district—your local calendar may be different. You’ll see these marked with an asterisk on the graphics below.

The dates when you'd need to have your child vaccinated by for them to be fully vaccinated by Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Lunar New Year.
It’s a little too close to Hanukkah to get the full protection of the vaccine in time. Katie Belloff
  • Hanukkah: Sorry, but if you were hoping to have your child fully vaccinated by the start or end of Hanukkah, those deadlines have passed.
  • Christmas (Saturday, Dec. 25): In order to have any children in your family fully vaccinated by Christmas, their first appointment should be no later than Saturday, Nov. 20, with the second shot scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 11.
  • New Year’s Eve (Friday, Dec. 31): To have your child fully vaccinated by New Year’s Eve, their first shot should be no later than Friday, Nov. 26, with the second one scheduled for Friday, Dec. 17.
  • Lunar New Year (Tuesday, Feb. 1): For a fully vaccinated Lunar New Year, your child’s first shot should be no later than Tuesday, Dec. 28, with the second scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 18.
The dates when you should have your child vaccinated for them to be fully vaccinated by Valentine's Day, February vacation, Saint Patrick's Day, Ramadan, Passover, and Easter.
A lot of these dates are fairly close together, so you can plan ahead or a number of holidays if you start early. Katie Belloff
  • Valentine’s Day (Monday, Feb. 14): In order to have your child fully vaccinated by Valentine’s Day, their first shot should be no later than Monday, Jan. 10, with a second appointment scheduled for Monday, Jan. 31.
  • February vacation* (Saturday, Feb. 19): To enjoy February vacation while fully vaccinated, especially if you are planning to travel, your child’s first shot should be no later than Saturday, Jan. 15, with the second one scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5.
  • Saint Patrick’s Day (Thursday, March 17): To have your child fully vaccinated by Saint Patrick’s Day, their first shot should be no later than Thursday, Feb. 10, with the second inoculation scheduled for Thursday, March 3.
  • Ramadan (Saturday, April 2): In order to have your child fully vaccinated by the first day of Ramadan, their first shot should be no later than Saturday, Feb. 26, with a second appointment scheduled for Saturday, March 19.
  • Passover (Friday, April 15): For a fully vaccinated child by the start of Passover, schedule their first shot for no later than Friday, March 11, with the second one set for Friday, April 1. Bump those dates one day later and they’ll be ready by the start of April vacation in some school districts.
  • Easter (Sunday, April 17): In order to have your child fully vaccinated by Easter, their first shot should be no later than Sunday, March 13, with the second one scheduled for Sunday, April 3.
The dates when you'd need to have your child's vaccination appointments done by to have them fully vaccinated by Eid al-Fitr, Mother's Day, Second Passover, Memorial Day, and the last day of school.
And that rounds out the school year. Katie Belloff
  • Eid al-Fitr (Monday, May 2): In order to have your child fully vaccinated by Eid al-Fitr, their first shot should be no later than Monday, March 28, with the second one scheduled for Monday, April 18.
  • Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 8): To have your kid fully vaccinated by Mother’s Day, you’ll need to schedule their first appointment for no later than Sunday, April 3, with the second one for Sunday, April 24.
  • Second Passover (Saturday, May 14): In order to have your child fully vaccinated by Second Passover, their first shot should be no later than Saturday, April 9, with the second one scheduled for Saturday, April 30.
  • Memorial Day (Monday, May 30): For a fully vaccinated Memorial Day, schedule your child’s first shot for no later than Monday, April 25, with the second one set for Monday, May 16.
  • Last day of school* (Thursday, June 16): To have your child fully vaccinated by the last day of school, their first shot should be no later than Thursday, May 12, with the second jab planned for Thursday, June 2.
Jean Levasseur
Jean Levasseur

Jean Levasseur is a DIY contributor at Popular Science. He’s an avid woodworker and a stay-at-home parent of twin boys. When he’s not chasing the twins around the house or trying to fix or build something, Jean is a fiction writer, musician, and avid gamer.

COVID-19
Diseases
Medicine
Vaccines
kids
pandemics
parenting