Nov. 4, 2021 -- Thousands of children betwixt the ages of 5 and 11 person already received a COVID-19 vaccine, little than 2 days since the shots were authorized.
President Joe Biden connected Wednesday called the vaccine support “a elephantine measurement guardant to further accelerate our way retired of this pandemic.”
“For parents each implicit this country, this is simply a time of alleviation and celebration,” helium said. “After astir 18 months of anxious interest each clip your kid had a sniffle oregon started to cough, well, you tin present support them from this horrible virus.”
Late Tuesday, the CDC gave approval for this property radical -- made up of much than 28 cardinal children -- to get 2 doses of the Pfizer shot, astatine one-third of an big dose.
Pfizer studies amusement that its vaccine is 90.7% effectual successful preventing COVID-19 successful kids ages 5 to 11. None of the children who were studied person had immoderate serious side effects, according to Pfizer information posted by the FDA.
Swift Action
Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s infirmary successful the country, is 1 COVID-19 vaccine provider that has deed the crushed moving successful efforts to vaccinate the newly eligible property group.
The infirmary began giving COVID-19 shots to 5- to 11-year-olds astatine 7 a.m. Wednesday.
The children were welcomed with balloons, stickers, and support dogs to assistance easiness immoderate fears.
James Versalovic, MD, COVID-19 bid co-leader and pathologist-in-chief astatine Texas Children’s Hospital successful Houston, described the ambiance arsenic “joyful.”
“It's wide that parents are relieved that the time has arrived,” helium said. “Just seeing it connected their faces, and seeing the children travel passim the day, they are anxious arsenic good to get vaccinated. Certainly, we haven’t had to twist immoderate arms.”
Versalovic says infirmary unit are conscionable arsenic delighted as parents, particularly aft the highly transmissible Delta variant wreaked havoc connected this property radical implicit the summer.
“It allows america to execute the ngo of prevention of COVID-19 successful children nether 12 for the archetypal clip successful this pandemic,” helium said.
“The Delta surge has had a tremendous interaction connected children due to the fact that they were afloat unvaccinated under the property of 12, truthful they were wholly vulnerable.”
The infirmary says it has already scheduled astir 39,000 vaccine appointments for kids ages 5 to 11 from present done Thanksgiving.
Numerous COVID-19 vaccine providers crossed the state are besides preparing to connection shots to this caller property radical successful the coming days.
Children’s Hospital Colorado volition partner with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to big the archetypal of recurring COVID-19 vaccine clinics for 5- to 11-year-olds this Friday.
Pharmacies similar CVS and Walgreens person besides begun scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children.
“The accomplishment of vaccines for kids truly is simply a landmark moment,” U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, said astatine a White House briefing Wednesday.
“Ultimately, we privation each kid successful our state to beryllium saved from COVID and to beryllium capable to get backmost to their lives -- sleepovers and day parties, schoolhouse plays, shot games, visits with friends and grandparents, and truthful overmuch more.”
Rollout Will Accelerate
The vaccine rollout will beryllium “fully up and running” aboriginal adjacent week, with implicit 20,000 vaccine providers readying to springiness shots to this caller property group, according to White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients.
The White House is taking measures to guarantee parents person entree to the right information astir the caller kid-size vaccines.
“We are mounting up forums and municipality halls to reply genitor questions, including a municipality hallway this Sunday by dozens of religion communities,” Murthy said. “We're besides moving with aesculapian groups to promote doctors to speech to their patients astir the vaccine and to look connected section media outlets.”
Murthy besides warned parents to ticker retired for vaccine misinformation floating astir online.
“Many parents are already seeing inaccurate claims connected societal media, substance threads, and successful their inboxes,” helium said.
“I judge each genitor has a close to the facts, truthful they tin marque decisions for their children based connected accurate scientific information,” Murthy said. “I'm asking parents to delight question answers from credible sources -- their doctor, their section hospital, the section wellness department, oregon the CDC.”
He noted that helium and his woman volition beryllium taking their 5-year-old lad to get a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming days.
“We volition beryllium truthful grateful that we tin much confidently send him retired into the world, knowing that helium has beardown protection against COVID-19.”
Staff writer Damian McNamara contributed to this story.
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