The White House has announced that children aged 5-11 will be able to start receiving the COVID-19 vaccine sometime this week and that the program will be fully operational starting next week. According to CNBC, there are an estimated 28 million children aged 5-11 in the USA. The dose they will be receiving is 1/3 the amount of the adult vaccine.
According to the AP, “By vaccinating children, the U.S. hopes to head off another coronavirus wave during the cold-weather months when people spend more time indoors and respiratory illnesses can spread more easily.”
But this will also likely have an impact on holiday travel. Last year, many families didn’t travel home for the holidays, and if holiday gatherings did happen, they were scaled back with fewer family members present. This has already led experts to predict a very busy holiday travel season as Americans will be looking to visit loved ones once again.
With children being able to get vaccinated, this will also likely play a key role in the decision-making about whether or not to travel as a family. Hypothetically speaking, if parents act quickly next week, their young children will have their second shot by Thanksgiving, and a much larger portion of children will be fully vaccinated come Christmas. Not only is this great for the health and safety of everyone while traveling, but it will be one more assurance to parents that traveling for the holidays is safe.
If you’re planning to travel with young children, you can learn more about the vaccination process on the CDC’s website. For all potential travelers this year, it’s important to remember that this is expected to be a busy (and potentially chaotic) holiday season, as millions of Americans will be taking to skies, roads, and rails for the first time in two years. It’s important to book early, plan for flexibility, and stay safe.