The CDC signed off on the vaccine for this age group Nov. 2.
This is equivalent to nearly 4.8 million of the estimated 28 million U.S. children aged 5 to 11. KFF also estimates less than 5 percent in this age group have received their second dose or are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination rates among the age group have slowed significantly since Thanksgiving, the analysis found. The rate had risen from 4 percent Nov. 9 to nearly 10 percent on Nov. 16 and since then, the rate of first-dose administration has been leveling off. Vermont has the highest share of 5- to 11-year-olds vaccinated at 45.6 percent, while West Virginia has the lowest share at 3.6 percent.
More than 133,000 COVID-19 cases were reported among U.S. children from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, the latest data available, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This marks the 17th consecutive week where child cases sat above 100,000.
