Washington: The United States on Wednesday started vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 against Covid-19, with roughly 28 million school-age kids now eligible for the shots that provide protection against the illness.
On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE shot for broad use in that age group after a panel of outside advisers voted in favour of it.
While 58 per cent of Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, children under 12 have not yet been eligible for shots. The Delta variant of the virus has led to thousands of children being hospitalised and they make up 25 per cent of US cases.