An independent CDC advisory panel will convene Tuesday morning, around 11 a.m. ET, to debate and hold a non-binding vote on whether to recommend the Pfizer vaccine for the roughly 28 million kids ages 5 to 11 in the U.S. A vote is expected by 4 p.m. ET.
If the panel decides to move ahead, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must sign off on those specific recommendations, which would likely happen Tuesday evening.
No pediatric vaccinations will start until Walensky gives the green light. If that happens Tuesday evening, shots could start going into younger children’s arms beginning Wednesday.
The White House has purchased 65 million Pfizer pediatric vaccine doses — more than enough to fully vaccine all American children in this age group.
The news comes as 101,000 child COVID-19 cases were reported last week, marking the eighth consecutive week of declines in pediatric infections since the pandemic peak of nearly 252,000 cases in early September, according to the American Academy ofPediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.
Manchin deals heavy new blow to Biden’s hopes for social spending, climate policy bill
A clearly frustrated Senator Joe Manchin dealt a new and heavy blow to President Joe Biden’s hopes for getting his agenda passed on Monday.
Manchin said House Democrats should “stop playing games” with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and told progressive lawmakers in the lower chamber that “holding the bill hostage” won’t earn his support for the $1.75 trillion social spending package.
House progressives have repeatedly withheld support for the bipartisan infrastructure bill — or “BIF” for bipartisan infrastructure framework — using it as leverage to ensure more of their priorities, many of which Manchin opposes, are included in the social spending and climate policy bill.
Manchin said he’s continuing to work in good faith on finding a compromise reconciliation package but seemed to call out progressives on their lack of willingness to budge.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement countering Manchin’s concerns and stating the Biden White House is “confident” he will go along.
Source-ABC
