White House reveals plans to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 once authorized by FDA 

The Biden Administration announced that if and when the Covid-19 vaccine is authorized for children, it will be rolled out swiftly. Children have been unable to get the vaccine, as it is not approved for children under 12. With children being more affected by the delta variant of the virus, there has been a push for the vaccine to become available to children.

The press release from the White House says that although Biden is working closely with the CDC and FDA, it is unknown when the two agencies will be ready to authorize the vaccine for children. “The start of a vaccination program for children ages 5-11 will depend on the independent FDA and CDC process and timeline, but our planning efforts mean that we will be ready to begin getting shots in arms in the days following a final CDC recommendation,” (White House). Already, the White House has taken steps towards obtaining vaccine supply specifically for children and setting up locations where it will be easily accessible.

The statement adds that the rollout of the vaccine for children aged 12 and over has been successful, claiming that, “Fully vaccinated individuals are 10 times less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 and have a high degree of protection, including against the Delta variant. The consequences of a pediatric COVID-19 case can be serious and potentially last months.”

Earlier this week, Pfizer announced that the vaccine is 93% effective in preventing Covid-19 related hospitalization for those aged 12-18. Their vaccine is currently authorized for people at least 16 years of age and, in emergency cases, children over 12.

The administration has made a huge push for everyone to get vaccinated and cited that 2 out of 3 people who are eligible to get the vaccine have and are fully vaccinated, which equates to around 189 million people. The statement boasted that this was a jump from the 2 million who were vaccinated in January when Biden took office.