White House Rolls Out Plan for Childhood Vaccinations
WASHINGTON — The White House released an operational plan for COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5 on Thursday.
Next week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will consider whether to authorize and recommend the first COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5.
Nearly 10 million vaccine doses for young children have already been secured by the Biden administration, and more federal efforts are underway to make those doses available to providers in the coming weeks.
The doses come in package sizes of 100, and include supplies like small needles for health care providers to serve younger populations. The first vaccinations are expected to start the week of June 20.
Vaccines will be available at pediatrician’s and doctor’s offices, community health centers, rural health clinics, children’s hospitals, public health clinics, and local pharmacies.
The administration will leverage existing federal programs which already serve younger populations to get more shots in arms.
The administration is also working to give families the answers to their child vaccine questions from sources they trust. The Department of Health and Human Services is working with organizations to launch a national public education campaign.
One of the organizations involved in the HHS partnership is known as “What to Expect,” a platform of over 20 million moms who will author a blog series featuring doctors and trusted experts to answer questions about pediatric vaccines.
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