Children ages 5 to 11 can now get a Covid-19 vaccine in the US

One little girl in New York City is certainly not throwing away her shot after receiving her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Nine-year-old Zia Bucci told CNN's Brynn Gingras at a doctor's office that she is looking forward to seeing "Hamilton" on Broadway after getting fully vaccinated.

Zia's mother, Milli, told CNN that her husband is a pilot and they had been living in Arizona but returned to New York.

Gingras reported that the doctor's office received 600 doses for children this morning, in addition to the 300 they had on hand already. Health workers plan to go into schools later to distribute the vaccine.

Children who have been coming in for their vaccines have expressed excitement about finally being able to take off their masks on the playground and having play dates with their friends, Gingras said.

The director of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, officially gave the green light on Covid-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 Tuesday, paving the way for million of young Americans to get vaccinated.

Parents have a lot of questions: What dose are their kids getting, and how long will it take to kick in and protect their children? What side effects should they expect? What if their child is about to turn 12 – should they wait until then to get the higher dose? And what happens if the pediatrician's office doesn't have vaccine appointments – what other options are there to get a shot?

CNN posed these questions to CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Here's what she said:

Should parents and families plan on kids missing school to recover from potential side effects after they get the vaccine?

Can a child get the Covid-19 vaccine the same time as another vaccine, like the flu vaccine?

What if a child has a history of food or medication allergies? Should they skip this vaccine?

Should a child who has had Covid-19 before still get vaccinated?

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said “this is really just a time for parents to celebrate.” 

“We now have vaccine that’s eligible for 28 million children between the ages of 5 to 11,” Walensky told ABC’s Good Morning America Wednesday. She said deliberations yesterday at the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices meeting showed the real efficacy and safety of the vaccines. 

“Importantly,” Walensky said, “we’ve taken the time to get this right, to do the science, to have a kids’ dosing schedule.” 

Asked about parents who were still hesitant to get their child vaccinated and what she would say to them, Walensky said, “what I would say to them is, you know, these are new and you may have questions and we are here to answer your questions.”

“We are now beginning to roll out, to distribute the vaccine, to give parents the information that they need,” she said. “Go talk to your pediatrician, your trusted health care provider, your pharmacist and get the information that you need as we start scaling up vaccine across this country.” 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the US will hit the ground running on Covid-19 vaccinations for 5-to-11-year-olds. 

The vaccine for this age group will now be available in pharmacies, pediatricians offices, children’s hospitals and certain community locations, he said.

Parents who want to get their children vaccinated should consult with their pediatricians, family physicians and pharmacists, he said, so that they know exactly where to get the vaccine for their kids.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it’s “understandable” for some parents to be hesitant about vaccinating their children, after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the green light for 28 million young children to get vaccinated against Covid-19. But if his kids were ages 5-11, Fauci said he “would definitely get them vaccinated.” 

“They’re not exempt from getting sick” from Covid-19, Fauci said, and persistent “long Covid” has been seen in children as well.  

He also debunked a myth that vaccines affect fertility.

“There's no indication whatsoever, even any mechanistic feasibility that would affect fertility at all. In fact, in the millions and millions of doses and billions of doses that have been given worldwide of the vaccine, there’s no indication whatsoever that it has anything to do with fertility,” said Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden. 

Fauci added that “I’m not so sure we’re going to get soon to zero spread.” 

“I don't think we're going to get to eradication. We’ve only eradicated one viral disease, and that's smallpox. But you can get it down to a very low level, if you get enough people vaccinated,” he said.  

Watch:

With Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine now available for children ages 5-11, more than 308 million Americans are currently eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the most recent US Census data.

At least 308,834,688 Americans are 5 years old or older – about 94% of the total population, according to 2019 US Census estimates.

The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said Tuesday evening she was endorsing a recommendation for vaccinating children ages 5-11 against Covid-19, clearing the way for immediate vaccination of the youngest age group yet in the United States.

“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus that causes COVID-19,” Walensky said.

“We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine. As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated." 

Connecticut hospital vaccinated a handful of children Tuesday evening, just minutes after US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on advisers’ recommendation to vaccinate kids ages 5-11 against Covid-19.

Hartford HealthCare held a live vaccination event Tuesday evening, and officials there said they believed the children were the first in this age group to be vaccinated in the United States. Most vaccinations were not scheduled to begin before Wednesday.

“The vaccine has proven to be very safe,” Keith Grant, senior system director for infection prevention at Hartford HealthCare, said before a staffer vaccinated six boys and girls in front of cameras.