US health authorities on Tuesday began vaccinating children younger than 5 against coronavirus as the country continues to battle the virus.
“The United States is now the first country in the world to offer safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months old,” Biden said as US hospitals began vaccinating the nation’s youngest children.
Also Read: Pfizer COVID vaccines are safe for small children, says FDA staff
Last week the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) panel had given the green signal to inoculate kids below 5 with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines after reviewing the clinical trials.
The US authorities have allowed two-shot Moderna vaccine doses for children aged six months to five years and a three-shot Pfizer regimen for children aged six months to four years.
Watch: US approves COVID vaccines for children
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited a vaccination centre in Washington as the president urged parents to get their kids vaccinated. The US had begun vaccinating the elderly in December 2020 as the pandemic created havoc around the world.
“This is no time for politics. It’s about parents being able to do everything they can to keep their children safe,” Biden said.
Biden said more money was needed for vaccines while adding that “there’s going to be another pandemic, we have to think ahead.”
The US is the worst-hit country due to the virus with over 86 million COVID-19 cases and more than 1,013,900 fatalities. The country was hit by the Omicron wave this year with some US states witnessing a surge in cases in recent months.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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