More Americans got an additional dose of one of the COVID-19 vaccines in a single day this week than any day previously recorded, a White House official said Wednesday, and nearly 15 million Americans have now gotten an extra shot.

What You Need To Know

  • More Americans got an additional dose of one of the COVID-19 vaccines in a single day this week than any day previously recorded

  • Fifteen million Americans have now gotten an extra shot, a White House official said Wednesday, including about 1.5 million Moderna and Johnson & Johnson doses since their authorization last week

  • The Biden administration is also preparing to roll out shots for kids ages 5 to 11 as soon as next week, and they will pair it with a paid media campaign around the U.S.

  • The CDC's director said Wednesday that it's still critical to vaccinate kids because COVID has been a leading cause of death among the 5 to 11 age group, even if they're less likely to experience severe COVID

Top health officials updated reporters on the booster rollout on Wednesday, noting that already 1.5 million Americans had gotten a Moderna or Johnson & Johnson booster in the last five days, since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the additional dose last Thursday.

“Our booster program is off to a very strong start,” said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients. “And we're working with states, pharmacies and other partners to quickly, efficiently and equitably get boosters to tens of millions of eligible Americans.”

About 676,000 Americans got either a boost or second shot in the 24-hour period from Tuesday to Wednesday, the White House COVID-19 Data Director said, the highest total yet.

 

Meanwhile the Biden administration is prepping vaccination sites across the U.S. in advance of the authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11, something that could happen as soon as mid-next week after a CDC panel meeting on Tuesday.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in the briefing Wednesday that it would be critical to vaccinate that age group as soon as possible, even though they’re less vulnerable than adults to severe COVID-19 and death.

“I think there's urgency because we're seeing disease in children. We've seen deaths in children. And we've seen long COVID,” she said. “We have seen cases come down before, and the way to prevent surges, again, is to get more and more people vaccinated.”

COVID-19 was one of the top ten causes of death among children 5 to 11, Dr. Walensky noted, and more than 8,300 kids in that age group have been hospitalized.

Overall, there have been 745 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in children under 18.

A key Food and Drug Administration panel signed off on the Pfizer shot the 5 to 11 group on Tuesday, setting up for the CDC panel’s review next week.

As far as convincing parents who have young children to sign them up for the vaccine, White House officials said Wednesday they’re planning a paid media campaign across TV, radio and other platforms but also relying on both time and local voices like family doctors.

“As we've seen with adults, confidence grows over time at the start of the vaccination program,” Zients said. “What matters most is local, trusted messengers that in this instance, parents and kids can turn to to get their questions answered.”