CDC Recommends Children As Young As 5 Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The CDC issued formal recommendations Tuesday, Nov. 2 for children as young as 5 years old to get vaccinated against COVID-19, clearing the final regulatory hurdle for younger kids to start receiving Pfizer's pediatric vaccine this week.
CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky accepted the recommendation of an advisory committee, which voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend children between 5 and 11 years old be eligible for the vaccine, the first available for this young age group.
Cook Children's Medical Center said it's received enough to vaccinate more than 3,000 children and plans to announce soon plans to mass vaccination clinics for existing patients.
"We're ready to go whenever the vaccine rolls in the doors," said Dr. Seth Kaplan, a Frisco pediatrician and past president of the Texas Pediatric Society. "This is a huge step to protecting our children, protecting their families, protecting their relatives who can't get full protection from the vaccine because of underlying conditions. And really just a monumental step to bringing this pandemic to an end."
Polls show about a quarter of parents with children in this age group are ready to get them vaccinated as soon as possible.
Another quarter say their children will probably receive the vaccine, as well.
A group of Dallas County children will be among the first 5 to 11-year-olds in the county to get the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday.