“It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus.” “It will allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others,” he said in a statement. President Joe Biden called the decision “a turning point.” “Pediatric vaccination has the power to help us change all of that.” “There are children in the second grade who have never experienced a normal school year,” Walensky said. In remarks earlier in the day, she said while the risk of severe disease and death is lower in young children than adults, it is real - and that COVID-19 has had a profound social, mental health and educational impact on youngsters, including widening disparities in learning. “As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated,” Walensky said Tuesday night, in a statement. The decision marks the first opportunity for Americans under 12 to get the powerful protection of any COVID-19 vaccine. Rochelle Walensky came only hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer’s shots should be opened to the 28 million youngsters in that age group.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recommends who should receive FDA-cleared vaccines. The Food and Drug Administration already authorized the shots for children ages 5 to 11 - doses just a third of the amount given to teens and adults.
health officials on Tuesday gave the final signoff to Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opens a major expansion of the nation’s vaccination campaign to children as young as 5.