For more information about this season’s COVID-19 vaccine availability, please read the notice below.**
Longwood Pediatrics strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children 6-23 months of age and encourages it for all children and adolescents.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has outlined the following COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents during the 2025-2026 respiratory season:
These recommendations from the Commonwealth align with those of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other leading physician professional organizations.
All vaccines for people 18 and under are provided by The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Commonwealth has not yet allowed us to order COVID-19 vaccines, but we anticipate being able to order and receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine within the next few weeks. Longwood Pediatrics will send out a message to all patients once we have the COVID-19 vaccine in stock.
Longwood Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommend annual influenza vaccination for all patients – especially for children ages 6 months to 2 years, who are the highest risk of hospitalization and death from the flu.
Influenza caused more than 200 pediatric deaths in 2024, at least half in patients without other medical problems. Vaccination remains the best way to protect against the flu.
For more information about the vaccine, read this season's Influenza Vaccine Information Statement below.
FluMist is a nasal spray alternative to the influenza vaccine.
Longwood Pediatrics is offering FluMist to eligible patients during the 2025-2026 respiratory season.
Learn the difference between FluMist and the flu shot by watching a new video on our Instagram!
As part of our commitment to provide the very best preventive care at our office, Longwood Pediatrics strongly supports the administration of all vaccines as recommended by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
We understand that families are faced with conflicting information about the risks and benefits of vaccines. We are committed to providing families with credible, fact-based information about vaccines as part of the informed consent process and to working with families that have questions about vaccines.
When families contact our office to establish care, we will ask if the child's vaccines are up to date and/or if they intend to administer routine childhood vaccines moving forward. In those rare cases where a new family has made a decision not to vaccinate their child, we will recommend that they seek care from other providers.
We do not recommend the practice of splitting up the vaccines or delaying the vaccination schedule. The office will not stock split versions of combination vaccines. We will only administer vaccines on alternative schedules when necessary for catch up schedules or due to medical contraindications to specific vaccines.