Kids will now be getting the COVID-19 vaccine as the Biden administration plans to roll out the vaccines for children aged 5 to 11.
The White House said, “We know millions of parents have been waiting for the Covid-19 vaccine for kids in this age group. And should the FDA and (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) authorize the vaccine, we will be ready to get shots in arms,” response director Jeff Zients told reporters at a White House Covid-19 briefing on Wednesday.
Because of this, vaccine advisers to the FDA are scheduled to meet next week to consider Pfizer’s request to authorize its vaccine to children ages 5 to 11.
If approved, this would be the first Covid-19 vaccine for younger children. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is currently approved for people age 16 and older and has emergency authorization for children ages 12 to 15.
A previous study has shown that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 93% effective in preventing hospitalization due to Covid-19 among children ages 12 to 18, according to a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccine effectiveness differed only slightly within that age group, with 91% effectiveness for children aged 12 to 15 and 94% effectiveness for those aged 16 to 18.
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In addition to that, the Biden administration is also launching a partnership with the Children’s Hospital Association “to work with over 100 children’s hospital systems across the country to set up vaccination sites in November and through the end of the calendar year,” the White House announced.
According to US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, US health officials want to be prepared for children to be able to get vaccines as soon as they can. He said the administration has been working for the last several weeks to months to prepare for the decision from the FDA and CDC.
As of now, 56.7% of the total US population, or about 188 million people, has been fully vaccinated. At the same time, 23.2% of the eligible population, or about 66 million people, is not vaccinated.
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