The Biden Administration released preliminary plans to provide coronavirus vaccines to 28 million American children ages 5-11 as soon as the Food and Drug Administration grants authorization for the children to get inoculated, the Associated Press reports.
Children will be able to get vaccines at their doctors’ offices, local pharmacies and even in their schools. The Administration’s plans are being made to prevent delays in the distribution of the vaccines like those experienced when vaccines were first approved in late 2020.
The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to give final authorization for children’s vaccinations as early as next week. To prepare for this, the federal government is preparing to ship out millions of doses of the vaccines along with small-gauge injection needles to accommodate children.
“We’re completing the operational planning to ensure vaccinations for kids ages 5 to 11 are available, easy and convenient,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said. “We’re going to be ready, pending the FDA and CDC decision.”
With the three weeks required between two dose vaccines like the Pfizer and Moderna versions, children who get their first dose in early November will be considered fully vaccinated by the Christmas holiday, after the suggested two week “activation” period.