The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended children as young as six months should be vaccinated for Covid-19.
Summary
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended children as young as six months should be vaccinated for Covid-19.
- An advisory panel approved vaccines for children aged 6 months to five years, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gave the final signoff later Saturday.
- Over 20 million babies, toddlers, and preschoolers may now receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
- Director Walensky said in a statement, “We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can.”
- Approximately 400 children aged 0-4 have died of Covid-19 since since the beginning of the pandemic.
- The New York Times answered five common questions about the Covid vaccine for kids, including “what are the side effects of the vaccines in young kids?” and “should your child get vaccinated right away if they’ve recently had Covid-19?”
- The Washington Post accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of “abandon[ing] Florida children” for refusing to order a supply of pediatric vaccines for his state.
- CNN noted the authorization only extended to the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, not Johnson & Johnson.
- Fox News published a statement from the White House, which called the authorization a “monumental step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus.”
- The Wall Street Journal noted polls have found many parents of young children are “hesitant or unwilling to immunize their young children.”
- National Review reported Pfizer said its pediatric vaccine was 80 percent effective after three doses, but that estimate was based on only ten cases in a broader trial group.
© Dominic Moore, 2022