New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he found a way to get families with kids ages 5 to 11 into the COVID-19 vaccine clinic: Pay ’em.
Mr. de Blasio said parents who bring in their kids will get a $100 incentive payment as he tries to get as many children immunized as possible before Christmas.
“We really want kids to take advantage, families take advantage of that,” Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, said Thursday. “Everyone could use a little more money around the holidays. But, most importantly, we want our kids and our families to be safe.”
He promoted the incentive as the federal government ships millions of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to pediatricians and pharmacies for kids ages 5 to 11. Federal agencies cleared the child vaccine, which uses a smaller dose than the adult version, earlier in the week.
Mr. de Blasio said he is working to ensure that every school holds an on-campus vaccination event.
The mayor said it would be ideal for a parent to accompany a child getting the vaccine.
“Because it’s 100% clear they’re giving consent. But also just in terms of supporting the child, that’s ideal,” he said.
He said he realizes that’s difficult for some working parents so they are working on guidance that lets parents send in written consent that can be verified by phone.
City officials warned the first few days of the child-vaccine rollout “will be busy,” though there will be sufficient supply and multiple avenues to find the shots.
The White House has said the rollout will reach full speed next week.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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