US President Joe Biden on Tuesday visited a vaccination clinic to celebrate the fact that virtually all Americans can now get a COVID-19 shot, The Associated Press reported.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months.
The CDC’s move came a day after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Moderna’s shot for children aged six months to five years, and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine for children aged six months to four years.
Biden on Tuesday visited a vaccination clinic in Washington, where some of the first shots were given to young children in the last major age group ineligible for vaccines, hailing it as an important pandemic milestone that will support the country´s recovery.
While anyone aged six months and up is now eligible for vaccines, the administration is cautioning that it expects the pace of shots for the youngest kids to be slower than older ones, as parents are more likely to rely on their children's pediatricians to administer them.
"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 at the White House.
Addressing parents, Biden said, "I encourage you to talk to the doctor after you make a plan to get your child vaccinated."
Later on Tuesday, Biden wrote on Twitter, “Folks, the United States just became the first country in the world to offer safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for kids as young as six months old.”