The White House said that since Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in this age group two weeks ago, approximately 10% of eligible children aged 5 to 11 have received a dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday that at least 2.6 million children had been vaccinated, and 1.7 million doses had been injected in the last week alone, roughly double the amount in the first week after approval. . This is more than three times faster than the rate at which adults were vaccinated when the US vaccination campaign began 11 months ago.

Zients said that there are now 30,000 places for children to inject injections, compared with 20,000 last week, and the government expects that the pace of pediatric injections will increase in the next few days.

Children who received the first dose before this weekend will be fully vaccinated before Christmas, assuming they receive the second dose three weeks after the first dose.

The White House or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet released the breakdown of dose breakdown by state for age groups, but data shared by states shows that the speed varies. In Colorado, Utah, and Illinois, approximately 11-12% of children in this age group received the first dose of vaccine, but in Idaho (5%), Tennessee (5%), and Wyoming ( 4%) and other places, this rate is much slower, and the three states have the lowest vaccination rates for the elderly.

The White House is stepping up its efforts to promote vaccination of children. First lady Jill Biden and singer Ciara recorded a video on Wednesday encouraging children to be vaccinated.

The first lady also visited the pediatric nursing facility in Washington with surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy, Alysha Clark of the Washington Mysteries, and Thomas Bryant of the Washington Wizards.

“You are the real heroes,” Biden told the newly vaccinated children. “You have superpowers, and now you are protected from the new coronavirus.”

Biden also warned parents against misinformation about the vaccine and emphasized their safety.

“I hope you remember and share with other parents: the vaccine can protect your child from COVID-19,” she said. “It has been thoroughly reviewed and rigorously tested. It is safe. It is free and applicable to every child 5 years and older in this country.”