Biden Administration Announces Plans for COVID-19 Vaccines for 5 to 11 Year Olds

The Biden Administration announced today it had secured enough of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the US pediatric population to roll out vaccinations to 5 to 11-year-old children.

“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 statement.

The timeline for upcoming meetings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been set and both will discuss and review data regarding this age group. The FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting is set for October 26 and open to the public.

The CDC is planning back-to-back meetings on November 2-3 to weigh the FDA’s recommendations.

Assuming the FDA approves the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in this age group and the CDC also recommends it, the rollout for vaccinations in children ages 5 to 11 years could begin in early November.

“Millions of adolescents ages 12-17 have been safely vaccinated, and we know vaccines work,” the White House said in a statement. “Fully vaccinated individuals are 10 times less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 and have a high degree of protection, including against the Delta variant. The consequences of a pediatric COVID-19 case can be serious and potentially last months.”