About 900,000 children aged 5 to 11 will have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during their first week of eligibility, the White House said on Wednesday.
–
Through Associated press ZEKE MILLER
November 10, 2021, 12:43
• 2 minutes to read
–
–
–
–
WASHINGTON – Around 900,000 children aged 5 to 11 will have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in their first week of eligibility, the White House said on Wednesday, giving a first glimpse of the pace of the vaccination campaign school-aged children.
Final clearance for the injections was granted by federal regulators on November 2, with the first doses to children starting in some locations the next day. Today, nearly 20,000 pharmacies, clinics and doctors’ offices are administering the doses, and the Biden administration estimates that by the end of Wednesday, more than 900,000 pediatric doses will have been administered. In addition, around 700,000 first appointments are also scheduled for the next few days.
About 28 million children aged 5 to 11 are now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine at a dose that is one-third of the amount given to adolescents and adults.
Children who start the two-dose regimen by the end of next week will have full vaccine protection by Christmas.
The administration encourages schools to organize vaccination clinics on site to make it easier for children to get vaccinated. The White House is also asking schools to share information from “trusted messengers” like doctors and public health officials to fight misinformation around vaccines.
