White House releases COVID vaccine distribution plans for children ages 5-11. What to know
The White House released plans Wednesday of how the federal government will distribute the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, which could be approved early next month, and South Carolina health officials said they’ll be ready to dole out doses as soon as they’re able to.
The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are considering whether to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old. Currently, those older than 12 years old can get the vaccine.
The Biden administration said it had secured enough vaccines to inoculate the country’s 28 million children for the new age range, a release said. More than 150,000 of those doses are slated to arrive in South Carolina during the first week of November, assistant state epidemiologist Jane Kelly said Wednesday.
The two-shot vaccine, which will be one-third of the amount given to people 12 years and older, will have packaging available in smaller configurations that will make it easier for physicians’ offices and other smaller, community-based providers to offer the vaccine to children.
Vaccine doses will be available at 25,000 pediatric and primary care sites, and tens of thousands of hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, and school- and community-based sites. South Carolina has 258 vaccine providers currently enrolled to administer the vaccine to children ages 5 to 11, Kelly said.
The White House said the Department of Health and Human Services also plans to conduct a national public education campaign with trusted messengers, schools, health departments, faith leaders and national and community organizations to increase vaccine confidence.
The federal agency also plans to reach out to parents through social media and in multiple languages about the vaccine.
Reporter Zak Koeske contributed to this article.
This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 10:11 AM.
