White House Unveils Plan To Vaccinate Kids Ages 5 To 11 Against COVID

Female doctor giving covid-19 vaccine to a toddler

Photo: Getty Images

The White House has released its plan to vaccinate children between the ages of 5 and 11 for COVID-19. The U.S. has secured enough vaccines to innoculate all 28 million children and plans to distribute them to tens of thousands of sites across the country, including pediatric and primary care providers, pharmacies, children's hospitals, and community health centers.

The Department of Health and Human Services will assist by running a nationwide public education campaign to provide parents with accurate information about the vaccines and where to get their children vaccinated. In addition, officials will "work with schools, state and local health departments, faith leaders, and national and community organizations to increase vaccine confidence."

The vaccines could be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early November. Next week, an FDA advisory committee is scheduled to meet to discuss authorizing Pfizer's vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old. The following week, a CDC committee will hold a meeting to decide if the vaccine should be approved for use in young children.

"We know millions of parents have been waiting for COVID-19 vaccine for kids in this age group. And should the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccine, we will be ready to get shots in arms," White House COVID-19 response director Jeff Zients told reporters.


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