Following an Early Period of High Demand, Vaccination for Children Ages 5-11 Has Significantly Slowed

As of December 5, 16.7% of 5-11 year-olds had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose with 4.3% of children reaching full vaccination, according to a new KFF analysis. After a short period of high demand, the rate of new vaccinations slowed significantly leading into the Thanksgiving holiday and has continued at the slower pace since.

Vaccination efforts around the country continue to differ, with more than a 40 percentage point difference between the top ranking vaccinated states versus the bottom ranking states. For example, 45.6% of children in Vermont ages 5-11 have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, compared to 3.6% of children ages 5-11 in West Virginia. Northeastern states are more likely to have vaccine coverage compared to the South, with New England having vaccinated at least 30% of children.

There are approximately 28 million children between the ages of 5-11. Currently, only 4.8 million children have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.