Biden and DeSantis battle over kids’ Covid vaccines (includes video story)

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for 17 million kids from 6 months to 5 years old, President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden met with families at Covid vaccine clinics in Washington, D.C.

The White House announced 10 million vaccine doses are available throughout the country. 

Every state except Florida pre-ordered vaccines for kids. Governor Ron DeSantis said he recommends against vaccinating children, but if parents want to, they can get the vaccine through doctors or hospitals. 

President Biden pushed back, saying, “Let’s be clear: elected officials shouldn’t get in the way and make it more difficult for parents who want their children to be vaccinated, who want to protect them and those around them. This is no time for politics. It’s about parents being able to do everything they can to keep their children safe.”

Only a fifth of the parents say they will rush to get their kids vaccinated, according to Kaiser Family Foundation’s Vaccine Monitor survey. However, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Wolensky says she is positive that confidence will increase. 

“We saw that with adult vaccination when it was first rolled out,” Wolensky said. “About 35 percent of people were interested, but we now have nearly 90 percent of people who have had one dose. So we have work to do with our trusted messengers–pediatricians, health care providers, pharmacists across this country.”

Nicole Castañeda is a psychologist and designer double major at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and has a master degree in Clinical Psychology and Logo-therapy. She is currently doing her masters in Spanish Journalism at Florida International University. She is passionate about fashion and journalism and her goal is to be able to work as a reporter in a Latin American channel.