Today, CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, approved the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that all children 6 months to 5 years of age should receive a vaccine against VOCID- 19. This extends eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children and means that all Americans 6 months or older are now eligible for vaccination.
Parents and caregivers can now vaccinate their children from 6 months to 5 years with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to better protect them from COVID-19. All children, including those who have already had COVID-19, should be vaccinated.
Vaccines against COVID-19 have suffered, and will continue to suffer, the most severe security check in U.S. history. Parents and caregivers can play an active role in monitoring the safety of these vaccines enroll their children in v-safe: personalized and confidential health checks via text messages and web surveys where they can easily share with the CDC as a child is later diagnosed with a vaccine against COVID-19.
Distribution of pediatric vaccines for these younger children has begun nationwide and will be available at thousands of pediatric consultations, pharmacies, federally qualified health centers, local health departments, clinics and other locations this week. Children in this younger age group can be vaccinated with any available vaccine (modern or Pfizer-BioNTech). Parents can contact their doctor, nurse, local pharmacy or health department, or visit vaccines.gov to see where vaccines for children are available.
The following is attributed to the director of the CDC, Dra. Rochelle P. Walensky:
“Together, with science at the helm, we have taken another important step in our nation’s fight against COVID-19. We know that millions of parents and caregivers are eager to vaccinate their young children, and with the decision “I encourage parents and caregivers to ask questions to talk to their local doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by vaccinating them.”