Slow pace for youngest kids getting COVID vaccine doses

By ZEKE MILLER and CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 300,000 children under 5 have received COVID-19 shots in the two weeks since they’ve become available. That’s a slower pace than for older groups, but the White House says it was expected for the eligible U.S. population of about 18 million kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to publish initial data for shots for the age group later Thursday, reflecting doses administered since regulators authorized them on June 18. The first vaccinations didn’t begin until several days later because the doses had to be shipped to doctors’ offices and pharmacies. U.S. officials had long predicted that the pace of vaccinating the youngest kids would be slower than for older groups. Most shots are expected to take place at pediatricians’ offices.