An Update on Vaccine Roll-Out for 5-11 Year-olds in the U.S. - Kaiser Family Foundation

On November 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children, ages 5-11, in the United States, making the U.S.

We previously discussed many of the issues to consider in rolling out pediatric COVID-19 vaccines to the 28 million 5-11 year-olds living in the U.S., including that a new formulation of the vaccine needed to be shipped for this purpose, different vaccine providers would need to be engaged, and parents and caregivers would play the determinate role in the effort, all factors suggesting that rollout might face unique issues. Now, a little more than one month since vaccines were first recommended for kids, we examine progress to date nationally and by state.

Nationally, an estimated 16.7% of 5-11 year-olds had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of December 5, 2021 (Figure 1).

There are some regional differences, with states in the Northeast more likely to have achieved higher coverage rates, while those in the South more likely to rank towards the bottom. The four states with highest vaccination rates, all in New England (Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island), have vaccinated at least 30% of children while the four states with the lowest vaccination rates (West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama) have vaccinated 6% or less (Table 1).

Eight of the ten states with the lowest vaccine coverage among 5-11 year-olds are in the South.

Across most (34) states, rankings on vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 are similar (within 10 points) of their adult, 18+ rankings.

Among the ten states with the highest vaccination rates for children, six (Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, DC, and Connecticut) also rank in the top ten states for adult vaccinations (Table 1).

At the other end of the spectrum, of the ten states that rank lowest in vaccination rates for children, six (Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Wyoming, Tennessee, and Georgia) are also in the bottom ten rankings for vaccinations for adults

While approximately 4.8 million children, ages 5-11, have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, we find that just over one month into the pediatric vaccination effort, the rate of increase appears to already be leveling off

As with vaccination rates for adults, the share of children ages 5-11 having received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose varies quite significantly across states

Given the role parents play in vaccination decisions for their children, it is perhaps not surprising that many of the states with among the lowest vaccination rates for adults also have the lowest vaccine coverage for children

At the same time, while state rankings on vaccination rates for children ages 5-11 generally mirror those for adults, a handful of states appear to be doing a better job of vaccinating children compared to adults