Some 20 million babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are now eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on unanimous votes from her agency's outside vaccine advisers to recommend shots from Moderna as well as Pfizer and BioNTech for children as young as six months old.
"Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation's fight against COVID-19," Walensky said in aAround a third of parents say they plan to get their child in the age group vaccinated, according to released on Saturday. Some of the long-awaited shots could begin as soon as this holiday weekend. Federal officials expect the bulk of vaccinations will commence after doctor's offices reopen on Tuesday.
"We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today's decision, they can. I encourage parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated," added Walensky.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted following a two day-long meeting to mull data on the benefits and risks of the shots in young children. A panel of the Food and Drug Administration's own outside advisers had also voted unanimously"Those trusted with the care of children can have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of these COVID-19 vaccines and can be assured that the agency was thorough in its evaluation of the data," FDA Commissioner Dr.
on Friday. However, as with older age groups, the government's supply agreements require vaccinators to wait for the CDC's sign-off before administering shots for young children.
The US is the only country in the world doing this experiment on infants.
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