TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will encourage its public schools to hold clinics for vaccinating children ages 5 through 11 against COVID-19 and some doses already have arrived in the state, Gov. Laura Kelly said Wednesday.
The state expects to receive nearly 128,000 doses of a vaccine for younger children manufactured by Pfizer by next week. Kelly announced that all children in that age group will be eligible for shots immediately, that some doses already have arrived, and that most should be in the state by Friday.
The governor said Kansas is following recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccinating children. Kansas has about 276,000 children from 5 through 11, so the doses it expects to receive will be enough for 46% of them to get the first of two shots.