Pediatricians Commend White House Vaccine Plan for Young Children

By: Lee Savio Beers, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics

“Pediatricians welcome today’s plan unveiled by the Biden Administration on vaccinating children ages 5-11 against COVID-19 once there is a safe and effective vaccine authorized and recommended, and we are eager to participate in the process. Pediatricians are the backbone of childhood immunizations in this country, and this vaccine is no different.

“Parents trust us to care for their children, come to us with questions and concerns about how to keep them healthy and safe, and will turn to us during this next phase for reassurance and guidance about the COVID-19 vaccine. We are ready to do what we’ve always done: counsel our families and protect our patients. The plan issued today by the White House recognizes that the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine for young children requires additional efforts to educate and support families and provide vaccines in settings where families and children feel most comfortable and are accustomed to accessing care.

“This is a key moment in our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 6 million children have been diagnosed with COVID-19, including 135,000 just last week. So far, not all children have had access to vaccines but we are hopeful that very soon, school-aged children will benefit from the life-saving protection of the COVID-19 vaccine. We look forward to working with the Administration to ensure as many pediatricians as possible can administer the vaccine without barriers, and we will collaborate with our chapters to ensure that every state prioritizes pediatricians front and center in their vaccine distribution plans.”

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds.