The United States Immediately Launches A COVID-19 Vaccine For Babies At Least 6 Months Old

Illustration - Giving vaccines to babies. (Antara/Feny Selly/Ang)

JAKARTA - The United States Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday (18/6) recommended the use of the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged over six months and the CDC allowed the vaccine to be given starting next week.

The permit was issued by the CDC after the agency's advisory panel voted on Saturday on recommendations for injecting a COVID-19 vaccine for children of this age group.

"We know millions of people and nurses desperately want their children vaccinated, and with today's decision, it can be done," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

The US drug and regulatory agency (FDA) on Friday (June 17) issued a permit to use Moderna Inc's vaccine in children ages 6 months to 5 years. Permission was also granted for Pfizer-BioNTech-made vaccines in children aged 6 months to four years.

The Pfizer vaccine has previously been approved for use in children over 5 years of age.

"This infection is killing children and we have a chance to prevent it," said Beth Bell, one of the doctors on the advisory panel, after the vote.

President Joe Biden's administration plans to roll out a vaccine for children under five next week.

"Next week, parents will be able to schedule registration at locations such as pediatric clinics, children's hospitals, and pharmacies," Biden said in a statement on Saturday.

While many parents in the United States desperately want their children to be vaccinated, it's not clear how many people are interested in vaccines.

Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine was licensed for use in children ages 5-11 in October last year, but only about 29 percent of children in that age group have so far been fully vaccinated, according to federal government data.

Health officials have emphasized vaccinating children ahead of the new school year. They hope that vaccination in this age group can help prevent hospitalization rates and deaths from COVID-19 from rising again.