NYC Children: ages 5 to 11 May be Eligible for COVID Vaccine Within Days or Weeks

     Children, ages 5 to 11 years old, in New York City may begin to get vaccinated in the next few days, Mayor Bill de Blasio said this morning.

     In a recent study, researchers from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed that the vaccine had proven to be highly effective at protecting kids, who will receive lower dosages than adults, from COVID-19.

     If the (FDA) vaccine advisory committee, which is meeting today, decides to authorize the shot for the youngest age group yet, the decision, will then go to the FDA for review, and then finally to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the final approval, which could happen in days or weeks.

     “There are several steps to the [process of authorization], which is particularly important when we're talking about pediatric vaccination because we want to make sure that the most rigorous process is followed to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective, as we have seen before,” Dave A. Chokshi, MD, the city’s health commissioner said this morning.

     “This is fantastic news that our youngest New Yorkers are going to be eligible for the vaccine,” said the mayor, who yesterday said that the city is preparing to administer more boosters and vaccines, as more people become eligible. 

     “We’re looking at late next week or the week after, and that’s fantastic,” Mayor de Blasio said. “We’re getting ready and excited.”

      “Regardless of the precise date, we will continue to prepare between now and then to make sure, as the mayor said, all of our sites will be ready and people have the information they need to be sure this will be a safe and effective addition to our vaccination campaign,” Dr. Chokshi.

       In addition to providing vaccine shots for children at all of the city’s sites and centers, the mayor is also considering offering the shot public elementary schools.

     “The ultimate goal is to put COVID in our past and allow us to come back to life fully, and this is what really allows it to happen,” the mayor said.

(Darren McGee- Office of Fomor Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)