Move FM Global News

WASHINGTON D.C.: Schoolchildren aged 5 to 11 years old in the U.S. started receiving their first COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday, a move lauded by health officials as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations and disrupted education.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, at doses specific to children, cleared two final requirements on Tuesday, which was followed by a recommendation from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisers, and then approval from CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

With the federal government promising to supply enough vaccines for the 28 million American children in this age group, pediatricians’ offices and hospitals began vaccinating children, to be followed by schools and pharmacies in the coming days.

However, health officials are concerned that demand would eventually decrease after the initial high. In a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, some two-thirds of parents said they would wait or not vaccinate their children.

Meanwhile, the CDC continues to recommend the wearing of facemasks in schools and indoor public spaces, even for those fully vaccinated.

The vaccine for children requires two doses three weeks apart, plus waiting two more weeks for full protection, meaning children who get vaccinated before Thanksgiving will be fully protected by Christmas.

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said the “vaccines.gov” website will be updated by Friday to enable parents to search for nearby vaccination locations for their children.

There have been questions raised about the need to get children vaccinated, as they are less likely than adults to develop severe illness from Covid.

However, during a recent White House briefing Dr. Anthony Fauci said since the introduction of the Delta variant, children become infected and transmit the virus “just as readily as adults do.”

Since the pandemic began, at least 94 children aged 5 to 11 have died from COVID-19, while more than 8,300 have been hospitalized and over 5,000 have developed a related inflammatory condition.