Children ages five to 11 started to get their covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday even as controversy rages over whether they should get the jab and many parents say they won't get their kids jabbed.
President Biden announced that following Wednesday's final authorization from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20,000 COVID vaccination sites across the country will now offer children ages five to 11 the FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine.
'Today, we have reached a turning point in our battle against COVID-19: authorization of a safe, effective vaccine for children age 5 to 11,' a statement shared by the White House read. 'It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others. It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus.'
However, almost two-thirds of parents recently polled by the Kaiser Family Foundation said they would wait or not seek out vaccines for their kids.
Many have questioned the need for kids to get vaccinated since they are less likely than adults to develop severe COVID-19.
About 5 million children under 18 have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic started. Almost 45 million people overall have tested positive across the country.
In the most recent surge of the virus, pushed by the more contagious delta variant and the loosening of social distancing measures, cases increased across all groups — but more children have been testing positive relative to older adults. This is mostly due to more older Americans receiving both doses of the vaccine.
The U.S. enters a new phase Wednesday in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with shots now available to millions of elementary-age children in what health officials hailed as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education
The first day COVID-19 vaccinations were available for children from 5 to 12 on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, following the CDC's approval to inoculate the age group
President Biden announced that nationwide-run COVID vaccination sites will NOW offer children ages 5-11 the FDA approved Pfizer vaccines
Children ages 5 to 11 are the latest group to become eligible for the shots that provide protection against the widely infectious disease. Pictured: Kidney transplant patient Sophia Silvaamaya, 5, held by her father Pedro Silvaamaya, is vaccinated by a nurse at Children's National Hospital in Washington
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has expanded COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for an estimated 28 million American children between the ages of 5 -11.
With the federal government promising enough vaccine to protect the nation's 28 million kids in this age group, pediatricians' offices and hospitals began inoculating children. Schools, pharmacies and other locations plan to follow suit in the days ahead.
In order for children to be vaccinated, they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. However, it remains unclear as to whether parents will also be allowed to give verbal consent over the phone to allow children to get the vaccine on their own.
Many pediatricians' offices expected strong interest in the shots at least initially, but health officials are worried about demand tapering off.
The vaccine — one-third the dose given to older children and adults and administered with kid-sized needles — requires two doses three weeks apart, plus two more weeks for full protection. That means children who get vaccinated before Thanksgiving will be covered by Christmas.
'The timing before winter holidays is very fortunate,' said Dr. Jennifer Shu, whose Children's Medical Group office in Decatur, Georgia, began vaccinating first thing Wednesday. 'This age group will be able to spend holidays with friends and family more safely than they have been able to since the start of the pandemic.'
Thousands of
