Biden hails vaccines for young children
Speaking on Tuesday, President Biden said the approval of vaccines for children as young as 6 months was “a monumental step forward.” Biden also said that elected officials should not get in the way of parents who want to get their children vaccinated, saying it’s “no time for politics.”
Video Transcript
JOE BIDEN: Monumental step forward. 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 and the first time in our fight against this pandemic nearly every American can now have access to lifesaving vaccines. And we're ready. My administration, with the help of the CDC, has been planning and preparing for this moment for a long time.
Since I took office, we've been committed to making sure every parent has the opportunity to protect their children from COVID-19. We've secured enough doses, and we're launching a comprehensive effort with states, local health departments, pediatricians, family doctors, pharmacies, rural health clinics, community health centers, and other trusted messengers and partners to get the word out, to get help to get shots in arms.
Parents will soon be able to start scheduling an appointment and addressing vaccines at pediatricians' offices, children's hospitals. Our largest pharmacy partners that are Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart are already scheduling appointments for later this week. And starting today, you can go to vaccines.gov and find information and appointments near you. More and more locations will be ramping up, and more vaccines are delivered to providers in your areas every day.
These vaccines are safe and effective and are approved, after extensive scientific review, by the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC. But I know some parents might have questions. I encourage you to talk to the doctor after you make a plan to get your child vaccinated. For your children older than five years of age, for everyone else, get your shots, get your boosters.
And let's be clear. Elected officials shouldn't get in the way and make it more difficult for parents who want their children to be vaccinated and want to protect them and those around them. This is no time for politics. It's about parents being able to do everything they can to keep their children safe.
