CDC votes to add Covid-19 vaccine to 'Vaccines for Kids' program

( Post Millennial )

On Wednesday, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to add the Covid-19 vaccine to the Vaccines for Kids program.

The 15-0 vote took place during Wednesday’s committee meeting. A vote will be held on Thursday on whether to include the vaccine in children’s immunization schedules.

Vaccines for Kids is a federally funded program that provides children vaccinations at no cost to families.

Children are eligible for the program if they are under the age of 19, and are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, underinsured, American Indian, or Alaska Native.

Vaccines available through this program are ones included on the ACIP’s recommended vaccination schedule, setting up a similar vote to change the CDC’s vaccine schedule on Thursday. The CDC’s immunization schedule for kids is seen as a recommendation for parents and physicians on when certain vaccines should be administered. The schedule also serves as a building block for school districts nationwide, many of whom chose to follow these guidelines as requirements for children to enter public schools.