By Rebecca Shabad and Heidi Przybyla -
NBC News
The Government chaired by Joe Biden announced on Wednesday its plan to vaccinate children between 5 and 11 years old against the coronavirus, a few days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) foreseeably authorizes the emergency use of Pfizer's vaccine for those under that age range.
The Biden Administration already has enough doses for the
28 million children in that age group
, which will be administered by more than 25,000 pediatric and primary care providers nationwide, the White House detailed.
A 12-year-old boy is vaccinated against COVID-19 in Santa Ana, California, on May 13, 2021.Jae C. Hong / AP
The Health Department is also closing agreements with the Children's Hospital Association so that at least 100 vaccination clinics can administer the doses.
Tens of
thousands of pharmacies will offer to immunize children,
and vaccines will be available in hundreds of schools and community health centers.
[34% of the US population has not had a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine]
The White House warned governors a few weeks ago that vaccination for the 5 to 11-year-old age group would begin in
early November
.
The Government purchased 65 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children, enough to vaccinate the estimated 28 million children in that age range who would be eligible if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes. its use as it is expected to do in the next few days.
They will authorize this Wednesday the combination of vaccines to reinforce protection against COVID-19
Oct. 19, 202102: 03
An FDA advisory committee is expected to meet next week to discuss the pharmaceutical companies' request to authorize the use of their vaccine for those children.