WASHINGTON (CN) — The United States has begun the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, nearly a year after the vaccine was first developed and six months after older children became eligible for vaccination.
"Today's a great day for American parents and American families and American children," Biden said at a White House news conference Wednesday.
Starting next week, Biden said parents nationwide will be able to schedule vaccination appointments for young kids. The government has been shipping millions of doses across the country since last week.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of a pediatric version of the Pfizer-BioNTech for children ages 5 to 11 last week, but it wasn't until Tuesday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended use of the vaccine that the floodgates opened for distribution nationwide, allowing an estimated 28 million young Americans to have a better chance at protection against the respiratory virus, according to the CDC.
Biden said the U.S. already has access to enough does of the vaccine for every child in the country.
"For parents all over this country this is a day of relief of and celebration. After almost 18 months of anxious worrying every time your child had a sniffle or started to cough, well, you can now protect them from this horrible virus," he said.
The pediatric vaccine will become available at 20,000 locations across the country, including local pharmacies, pediatricians' offices and children's hospitals, according to Biden.
The president said vaccination appointment times will also accommodate working parents and caretakers, with slots available at night and on weekends to lessen the burden on families. The Biden administration has also planned 6,000 vaccination clinics at schools across the country.
"Just like we saw when the adult vaccine rolled out, not everyone will immediately have access to a vaccine, but I am confident that every family who wants this vaccine for their child will be able to get it within the next few weeks now that it’s authorized,” said Dr. Claire Boogaard, medical director of the Covid-19 Vaccine Program at Children’s National Hospital, in a statement.
The vaccine for children is a smaller dose of the one given to adults and children 12 and older, but it touts a 91% efficacy rate and an ongoing study of the vaccine has shown no serious side effects.
"I know many parents have been anxiously waiting for this day, but I know many families will also have questions," Biden said Wednesday, stressing the importance of family doctors and community resources in the mission to vaccinate children.
He added that the vaccine is safe and effective, urging parents to "get your children vaccinated to protect themselves, to protect others and to stop the spread."
While children tend to be at a lower risk of both contracting the virus and facing serious illness, a summer in which hospitalizations among children and adolescents increased fivefold over a six-week period followed by the return to in-person learning at many schools in the fall have made many parents and caretakers eager for a pediatric vaccine.
Heather Rose, a mom of three from Seattle, said it was difficult for her 10-year-old son to have to watch his older siblings get vaccinated while he still had to attend in-person school without the protection of a vaccine.
"My youngest has been very interested in the science behind the vaccines and wishes everyone could get behind it. We just got our appointment secured for this Sunday and he gave me a fist pump when I told him," Rose said.
Bob Jenks, a grandfather of four from Texas, said that while his youngest grandchild is only 2 and too young to be vaccinated, it's going to be a relief to know his other three grandkids will soon have the safety of the vaccine.
"Their parents are anxious to get them vaccinated. We want them protected," Jenks said.
Biden also turned his attention to seniors and the recent rollout of booster shots, pushing for older Americans to receive their booster shots.
"We have ample supply of boosters," he said. "If you are eligible, get your booster now."
He applauded national vaccination efforts, noting that since early September, cases and hospitalizations nationwide are down 50% and cases and hospitalization have fallen in 40 states over the past two weeks.
As of Nov. 3, Biden said 80% of American adults have had at least one Covid shot.
"We have made incredible progress over these past nine months, but we have to keep going," Biden said. "Please do your part."
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