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Published 14:31 20 Oct 2021 GMT
The White House has announced its plan on how vaccines against Covid-19 will be rolled out for children aged 5-11, should the FDA and CDC approve.
As reported by NBC News, an advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to meet next week to discuss Pfizer and BioNTech's request to have their vaccine authorized for children in this age group. The advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is scheduled to take place the week after.
On Wednesday (October 20), the White House published its operational plan it intends to put in place should the CDC and FDA authorize the vaccine for children aged 5-11.
The plan has been established so that the vaccine "is quickly distributed and made conveniently and equitably available to families across the country," according to the official White House website.
"These steps will be critical in ensuring that we are staying ahead of the virus by keeping kids and families safe, especially those at highest risk," the White House adds.
The Biden Administration has revealed that it has procured enough doses of the vaccine for 28 million children within the age group, which will be available at over 25,000 pediatric and primary care providers. The vaccine will be made easily available to families at vaccination clinics at "doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, and school- and community-based sites".
Per the plan, "the Administration is working with states to increase the number of pediatric and primary care providers enrolled to administer the vaccine and to provide the training and resources they need".
And in an effort to ensure that parents and guardians have all the information they need surrounding the vaccine, the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) will "conduct a national public education campaign" in order to supply families with "accurate and culturally-responsive information about the vaccine and the risks that COVID-19 poses to children".
Back in September, Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement that their two-dose vaccine was safe and showed a "robust" antibody response in children aged 5 to 11.
Following FDA and CDC approval, the White House adds that "millions" of adolescents aged between 12 and 17 have been safely vaccinated.
For more information and to read through the White House's full fact sheet on the plan, click HERE.
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