The Biden administration outlined plans to roll out vaccines for children under age 5. This is in conjunction with educational and outreach efforts if the shots are approved by federal regulators.
Children under 5 are at slight risk, and the vaccine is still experimental.
Vaccinations for children under age 5 could begin as soon as June 21 if the shots from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE. And if they are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.
Ten million initial doses will be made available.
“We are on the cusp of having safe, highly effective vaccines for kids under five,” Ashish Jha, White House Covid-19 response coordinator, said on Thursday. If authorized, the vaccinations would also be available through locations such as public-health clinics, community health centers, and pharmacies.
The administration also plans to make vaccinations available at more than 100 children’s hospitals and health systems. They will also supply pop-up clinics at children’s museums, the Wall Street Journal reports.
As of this week, about 1.45 million of the 2.5 million available doses of Pfizer have been ordered. And about 850,000 available Moderna shots have been ordered, officials said.
More orders are expected in the coming days. Young children are the last group of Americans who have not been recommended to get COVID-19 vaccinations. Up to about 20 million U.S. children under 5 would become eligible for vaccination if the government authorizes one or both shots, according to KOMO.
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