Fauci pleads with parents to get their children vaccinated as fewer than 1 in 5 eligible American children are protected against COVID-19

• The number of COVID-19 cases in children ages 5-11 has hit 2 million, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
• Only 16.7% of US children ages 5-11 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Citing statistics that fewer than 1 in 5 US children ages 5-11 have been vaccinated against COVID-19, ABC's "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked Dr. Anthony Fauci what message he has for reluctant parents during an interview on Sunday.

"If your child is five years of age and older, please get them vaccinated. We need to protect the children," Fauci said. "This idea that children are not vulnerable at all is not so, George."

Although children are statistically less likely to develop severe COVID-19 infections compared to adults and the elderly, Fauci said that the number of COVID-19 cases in children ages 5-11 sits at 2 million, which has resulted in nearly 10,000 hospitalizations and well over 100 deaths.

"It's not only good for the health of the child but also to prevent the spread in the community. We have a very safe and highly effective vaccine for everyone, including children 5-11, and that's the reason why we encourage parents to get their children vaccinated," Fauci told Stephanopoulos.

As of December 5, estimates show that only 4.7 million of the 28 million children in the US ages 5-11, or 16.7%, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Family Foundation. Only 4.3% of children are considered fully vaccinated, KFF stated.

"Overall, we find that after an initial period of high demand, vaccination progress among those ages 5-11 has slowed significantly," KFF stated. "The rate of vaccination among 5-11 year-olds has slowed considerably, a drop that preceded the Thanksgiving holiday and has continued since."

Similar to COVID-19 vaccination trends in adults, data shows that vaccination rates for children vary depending on the state. While the four states with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates of children are in the northeastern US, the four states with the lowest vaccination rates are in the South, according to data from the CDC COVID Data Tracker.