US health authorities on Tuesday began vaccinating children younger than 5 against coronavirus as the country continues to battle the virus.

"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 as US hospitals began vaccinating the nation's youngest children.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pfizer-covid-vaccines-are-safe-for-small-children-says-fda-staff-487750">Also Read:&nbsp;Pfizer COVID vaccines are safe for small children, says FDA staff</a>

Last week the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) panel had given the green signal to inoculate kids below 5 with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines after reviewing the clinical trials.

The US authorities have allowed two-shot Moderna vaccine doses for children aged six months to five years and a three-shot Pfizer regimen for children aged six months to four years.

Watch:&nbsp;US approves COVID vaccines for children

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President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited a vaccination centre in Washington as the president urged parents to get their kids vaccinated. The US had begun vaccinating the elderly in December 2020 as the pandemic created havoc around the world.

"This is no time for politics. It's about parents being able to do everything they can to keep their children safe," Biden said.

Biden said more money was needed for vaccines while adding that&nbsp;"there's going to be another pandemic, we have to think ahead."&nbsp;

The US is the worst-hit country due to the virus with over 86 million COVID-19&nbsp;cases and more than 1,013,900&nbsp;fatalities. The country was hit by the Omicron wave this year with some US states witnessing a surge in cases in recent months.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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US health authorities on Tuesday began vaccinating children younger than 5 against coronavirus as the country continues to battle the virus. "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 as US hospitals began vaccinating the nation's youngest children.

US health authorities on Tuesday began vaccinating children younger than 5 against coronavirus as the country continues to battle the virus. "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 as US hospitals began vaccinating the nation's youngest children. Also Read: Pfizer COVID vaccines are safe for small children, says FDA staff Last week the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) panel had given the green signal to inoculate kids below 5 with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines after reviewing the clinical trials. The US authorities have allowed two-shot Moderna vaccine doses for children aged six months to five years and a three-shot Pfizer regimen for children aged six months to four years. Watch: US approves COVID vaccines for children President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited a vaccination centre in Washington as the president urged parents to get their kids vaccinated. The US had begun vaccinating the elderly in December 2020 as the pandemic created havoc around the world. "This is no time for politics. It's about parents being able to do everything they can to keep their children safe," Biden said. Biden said more money was needed for vaccines while adding that "there's going to be another pandemic, we have to think ahead." The US is the worst-hit country due to the virus with over 86 million COVID-19 cases and more than 1,013,900 fatalities. The country was hit by the Omicron wave this year with some US states witnessing a surge in cases in recent months. (With inputs from Agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

COVID-19: US begins vaccinating children under 5

President Joe Biden wants 70 percent of adults in the US to have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, the White House said Tuesday.

In addition to getting 70 percent at least partially vaccinated, Biden wants "160 million Americans fully vaccinated" by the same date, an official told reporters.

One senior official said reaching the target in just 60 days was "not easy but we know we can do it."

The United States is already "far ahead of where anyone thought we would be in our war" on the Covid virus, the official said.

Meeting the goal, which would mean overcoming stubborn pockets of vaccine hesitancy, will significantly change the way Americans experience their summer, another official said.

There are "going to be far less public health restrictions."

The Biden administration will begin shifting how it allocates COVID-19 shots to states, moving doses from states with lower demand to those with stronger interest in vaccines, an administration official said Tuesday.

The change away from a strict by-population allocation comes as demand for the coronavirus vaccines has dropped nationwide, but especially precipitously in some areas, with some states turning down part or all of their weekly dose allotments. The federal government will now shift some of those doses to areas with higher demand, in an effort to speed shots in those areas.

The administration says those states would have the shots available whenever demand for vaccines in their states increases&nbsp;a key priority of the Biden administration.

This week, Iowa turned down nearly three-quarters of the vaccine doses available to the state for next week from the federal government because demand for the shots remains weak.

Individual states have made similar shifts internally to account for changing demand. Last week, Washington state changed the way it allocates coronavirus vaccine to its counties.

Previously the state doled out supplies to counties proportionate to their populations. But Governor Jay Inslee said Thursday that the amounts now will be based on requests from health care providers.

(With inputs from agencies)

President Joe Biden wants 70 percent of adults in the US to have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, the White House said Tuesday.

President Joe Biden wants 70 percent of adults in the US to have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine by the July 4 Independence Day holiday, the White House said Tuesday. In addition to getting 70 percent at least partially vaccinated, Biden wants "160 million Americans fully vaccinated" by the same date, an official told reporters. One senior official said reaching the target in just 60 days was "not easy but we know we can do it." The United States is already "far ahead of where anyone thought we would be in our war" on the Covid virus, the official said. Meeting the goal, which would mean overcoming stubborn pockets of vaccine hesitancy, will significantly change the way Americans experience their summer, another official said. There are "going to be far less public health restrictions." The Biden administration will begin shifting how it allocates COVID-19 shots to states, moving doses from states with lower demand to those with stronger interest in vaccines, an administration official said Tuesday. The change away from a strict by-population allocation comes as demand for the coronavirus vaccines has dropped nationwide, but especially precipitously in some areas, with some states turning down part or all of their weekly dose allotments. The federal government will now shift some of those doses to areas with higher demand, in an effort to speed shots in those areas. The administration says those states would have the shots available whenever demand for vaccines in their states increases a key priority of the Biden administration. This week, Iowa turned down nearly three-quarters of the vaccine doses available to the state for next week from the federal government because demand for the shots remains weak. Individual states have made similar shifts internally to account for changing demand. Last week, Washington state changed the way it allocates coronavirus vaccine to its counties. Previously the state doled out supplies to counties proportionate to their populations. But Governor Jay Inslee said Thursday that the amounts now will be based on requests from health care providers. (With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden aiming for 70% adults to get first Covid shot by July 4

In his first prime-time address since taking office, President Joe Biden announced Thursday evening that all American adults would be eligible for the vaccine by May 1.

But a new survey indicates that a sizable minority of Americans — particularly Republicans — are not yet willing to take it.

Twenty-two per cent of respondents to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College poll released Thursday said they had already been vaccinated, and an additional 45% said they would get the vaccine when it became available to them.

But 30% said that they would not. Among Republicans, that number leapt to 41%.

The poll revealed a stark racial disparity in terms of access to the vaccine. Roughly a quarter of both white and Black Americans said they had already been vaccinated — but among Latinos, that number dropped to 11%.

The results also flew in the face of a commonly circulated narrative suggesting that Black people are less willing to be vaccinated than others. In fact, while 25% of Black people said they did not want the vaccine, that number was 28% among white people, driven largely by Republicans’ ambivalence. Among Latinos, it reached 37%.

Fifty-two per cent of Latinos and 48% of Black people said they hadn’t yet gotten the vaccine but would take it when it became available to them. Just 43% of white people said that.

All told, the share of Americans saying they wouldn’t get the vaccine stood at 30%, down from a high of 44% in a Marist poll in September.

The recent Marist poll was conducted by phone from March 3 to March 8, among a random sample of 1,227 American adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

In his first prime-time address since taking office, President Joe Biden announced Thursday evening that all American adults would be eligible for the vaccine by May 1.

In his first prime-time address since taking office, President Joe Biden announced Thursday evening that all American adults would be eligible for the vaccine by May 1. But a new survey indicates that a sizable minority of Americans — particularly Republicans — are not yet willing to take it. Twenty-two per cent of respondents to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist College poll released Thursday said they had already been vaccinated, and an additional 45% said they would get the vaccine when it became available to them. But 30% said that they would not. Among Republicans, that number leapt to 41%. The poll revealed a stark racial disparity in terms of access to the vaccine. Roughly a quarter of both white and Black Americans said they had already been vaccinated — but among Latinos, that number dropped to 11%. The results also flew in the face of a commonly circulated narrative suggesting that Black people are less willing to be vaccinated than others. In fact, while 25% of Black people said they did not want the vaccine, that number was 28% among white people, driven largely by Republicans’ ambivalence. Among Latinos, it reached 37%. Fifty-two per cent of Latinos and 48% of Black people said they hadn’t yet gotten the vaccine but would take it when it became available to them. Just 43% of white people said that. All told, the share of Americans saying they wouldn’t get the vaccine stood at 30%, down from a high of 44% in a Marist poll in September. The recent Marist poll was conducted by phone from March 3 to March 8, among a random sample of 1,227 American adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Poll finds 30% of Americans plan to shun vaccine

COVAX is a global initiative co-led by the World Health Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

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