Overnight Health Care — Presented by Emergent Biosolutions — 2.6M children

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In the first two weeks since they’ve been eligible, 10 percent of all kids ages 5-11 have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

For The Hill, we’re Peter Sullivan (psullivan@thehill.com), Nathaniel Weixel (nweixel@thehill.com) and Justine Coleman (jcoleman@thehill.com). Write to us with tips and feedback, and follow us on Twitter: @PeterSullivan4, @NateWeixel and @JustineColeman8.

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10 percent of young kids 5-11 received first shot 

The pace of vaccinating younger children against the coronavirus is speeding up. The White House said about 10 percent of children aged 5 to 11 will have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine shot within the two weeks since it became available to the younger age group.

More than 2.6 million 5- to 11-year-olds are expected to have received their first dose by the end of the day on Wednesday, officials said during a briefing, citing the “strength” of the administration’s vaccination rollout for children, which has been fully operational for 10 days. There are 28 million children eligible.

White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff ZientsJeff ZientsBiden taps former New Orleans mayor Landrieu to spearhead infrastructure The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Rising prices undercut Biden agenda Overnight Health Care — Presented by Rare Access Action Project — Child vaccinations near 1 million in first week MORE contrasted the timeline with the 50 days it took to reach 10 percent of adults with one COVID-19 shot. 

Children’s vaccinations doubled in the first full week of the program, compared to the previous week, with 1.7 million kids getting their shots in the last week alone. The number of vaccination sites available to children also increased by 50 percent to 30,000 last week.

The numbers for kids come as the U.S. is set to hit a milestone of 80 percent of Americans aged 12 and older receiving at least one shot. According to Zients, 300,000 people are getting their first dose every day. The White House has pointed to the growing acceptance and uptake of vaccines as evidence that mandates work— many businesses across the country are requiring employees to be vaccinated. 

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A MESSAGE FROM EMERGENT BIOSOLUTIONS

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