WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT FOR CHILDREN AGES 5 TO 11

Thu 21 October 2021:

Millions of American children aged 5 to 11 will likely be vaccinated in the coming weeks in a mass vaccination effort that hasn’t been seen since the days of polio vaccinations.

Officials have established a strategy to begin rolling out two doses of the Pfizer vaccine developed for children in the coming weeks – provided the FDA accepts Pfizer’s safety and efficacy evidence.

“We need everyone onboard for the work ahead of us, because every parent should have the information and tools that they need to help keep their kids safe,” Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States, said in a White House press briefing. “And that’s why we’re eagerly [awaiting] the FDA review of the data on children’s vaccines.”

Vaccines for children under the age of 12 will be distributed at more than 25,000 pediatric offices, pharmacies, and schools.

Children will not be queuing up like adults did for mass vaccination clinics at hospitals, community centers, and stadiums.

Starting in November, the government will collaborate with more than 100 children’s hospitals around the country to establish vaccination sites.

The vaccinations will also be sent in smaller packages of around 100 doses each, which can be kept for up to 10 weeks at standard refrigeration levels and six months at ultracold temperatures.

Two shots will be given three weeks apart, using smaller syringes and a lower dosage, about a third of what was used to immunize persons aged 16 to 25.

Pfizer tested this modified formulation and found it to be safe while still producing neutralizing antibodies.

Regulatory authorities in the United States are currently reviewing this information.

Pfizer submitted their data to the FDA for approval in late September. The White House, anticipating its approval, announced their starting steps for the rollout on Wednesday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said getting kids vaccinated can help ensure the safety of their entire family during an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “Prime Time” Wednesday evening. Fauci recognized “parents have valid questions that need to be answered” about vaccinating their children.

“It’s up to us to be very transparent with them, and to give them the correct answers to the questions they ask,” he continued. “I think if we do that, I hope that the vast majority of parents will realize the real benefit for the children to get vaccinated.”

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