Heinrich Applauds FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization Of COVID-19 Vaccines For Children Ages 5-11

WASHINGTON (Oct. 29, 2021) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is welcoming an announcement from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock that the agency has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children ages 5-11 to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’m pleased to see the FDA following through on granting authorization to begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5-11,” said Heinrich. “I am also grateful that the Biden administration is working to make COVID-19 vaccines available at doctors’ offices. Pediatricians are the most trusted sources for families when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines for children - ensuring that parents can make confident decisions with a trusted family medical professional. This approval is a critical step in our efforts to get back to normal, giving parents, teachers, and caregivers across the country peace of mind that our children will now also have access to this life-saving vaccine.”

In September, Senator Heinrich led a group of Democratic Senate colleagues in a lettercalling on FDA Acting Commissioner Woodcock to grant the EUA for the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 12.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association have been tracking COVID-19 cases in children since the start of the pandemic. In recent weeks, they reported the largest increase in pediatric COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

More than 6.2 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States since the pandemic began, and the prevalence of Long COVID in children after initial infection. Tragically, over 580 children have died of COVID-19. 

Senator Heinrich helped secure $20 billion in the American Rescue Plan to improve COVID-19 vaccine administration and distribution. Since taking office, President Joe Biden has mobilized a whole-of-government effort to get Americans vaccinated and end the pandemic. Because of these efforts by Senator Heinrich, Democrats, and President Biden, today, 2 in 3 eligible individuals – 189 million Americans – are fully vaccinated. In New Mexico, 72% of New Mexicans age 18 and older and 53.8% of those ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated. With this approval from the FDA, 28 million children ages 5-11 nationwide can begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine soon.