More than 360,000 children under 12 have been vaccinated: CDC data

More than 360,000 children under 12 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the country steps up pediatric vaccinations.

Preliminary data from Monday evening shows that at least 156,000 children under the age of 12 have started their immunization regimens in the past two weeks, as doses began to be available for those in this younger age group. . Children under 12 made up 5.2 percent of those who received their first dose in the past 14 days.

The CDC officially recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for ages 5 to 11 last week, marking the first time Americans under 12 have become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination.

The move, following emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the age group late last month, opened vaccination to 28 million children across the United States.

Although they make up 14% of the U.S. population, those under 12 currently make up 0.2% of Americans who have received at least one dose, as vaccines have only been available for days.

The CDC noted that immunization data was available by age for about 205 million recipients, warning that the figures “only represent the geographic areas that provided data” and therefore are “not generalizable to the entire population. American population “.

White House officials have said the government has enough doses of Pfizer-BioNTech for all children ages 5 to 11 and plans to make the pediatric immunization program fully operational starting this week.

“We’re in great shape on supply, and the whole plan is based on the Pfizer vaccine,” White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff ZientsJeff ZientsBiden urges parents to immunize their eligible children Trump’s surgeon general says he plans to vaccinate 11-year-old as soon as possible The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by ExxonMobil – Political Earthquake Shakes Virginia; New Jersey too close to call FOLLOWING said at a briefing last week.

For months, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the only vaccine available for children ages 12 to 17 in the United States, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines were only licensed for adults.

But as eligibility widened, Biden pleaded with parents of children ages 5 to 11 to get their children vaccinated to “speed our way out of this pandemic.”

“Get your children vaccinated to protect themselves, protect others, stop the spread and help us beat this pandemic,” the president said last week.

Several parents breathed a sigh of relief with the CDC’s recommendations for ages 5 to 11 last week, but some parents are still hesitant to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

An October poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 27% of parents said they wanted to get their children ages 5 to 11 immunized “right away”. Thirty percent said they definitely do not plan to vaccinate their children in the newly licensed age group, while 33 percent said they want to wait and see.