AFT President Weingarten Welcomes Biden Plan for Child Vaccination Rollout

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s plan to make vaccination convenient, easily accessible, and free for kids ages 5-11 once the vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This announcement comes as nearly 6.2 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic, with 131,000 cases in children added this past week:

“The delta variant changed everything and made clear that kids can get sick from COVID and transmit it, making vaccinations all the more critical. Vaccines for children give parents more tools to protect their children, which in turn will make our students, schools and communities safer. The administration’s plan to use trusted places and people, including schools and family pediatricians, to help kids get vaccinated is a huge step toward beating COVID and returning to normalcy.

“The science is clear that vaccines remain our best defense to protect people and prevent the spread of this virus. We’re looking forward to partnering with the White House and other agencies to help get America’s kids vaccinated.”