White House unveils COVID-19 vaccine plan for kids aged 5-11

The White House announced a plan Wednesday morning to vaccinate America’s 28 million kids ages 5 to 11 against COVID-19. No vaccine is currently available to kids that age group in the U.S., but formal approval is expected once the Food and Drug Administration signs off and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel meeting scheduled for Nov. 2-3 concludes.

“In anticipation of the FDA’s independent advisory committee meeting on October 26 and the CDC’s independent advisory committee meeting on November 2-3, today the Biden Administration is announcing a plan to ensure that, if a vaccine is authorized for children ages 5-11, it is quickly distributed and made conveniently and equitably available to families across the country,” the White House said in a fact sheet laying out the plan. “The start of a vaccination program for children ages 5-11 will depend on the independent FDA and CDC process and timeline, but our planning efforts mean that we will be ready to begin getting shots in arms in the days following a final CDC recommendation.”

In its fact sheet, the White House said it has already secure the doses required to vaccinate kids aged 5-11. The goal of the plan is to get those doses to places conveniently located to families across the country.

“Nationwide, more than 25,000 pediatric and primary care provider sites will provide vaccinations for children, in addition to tens of thousands of other provider locations that serve children, including pharmacies, children’s hospitals, and community health centers,” the White House said Wednesday.

The White House also said the Department of Health and Human Services will launch a national public education campaign aimed at parents and guardians.

The announcement of the White House vaccine plan for kids aged 5-11 comes as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city will require its workers to get the first does of the vaccine by Nov. 1. Jailers at Rikers Island have an extra month to comply with the mandate. It does not include an option to test out of being vaccinated.

“Our police officers, our EMTs, our firefighters, all our public employees — a lot of them come in very close contact with their fellow New Yorkers,” de Blasio said in an interview after announcing the policy. “They need to be safe. Their families need to safe, but we also need to reassure all New Yorkers that if you’re working with a public employee, they’re vaccinated. Everyone’s going to be safe.”

City officials said of the workers affected by the new mandate, 71 percent have already received at least one dose of the vaccine.