Fauci says 'kids of any age' should be able to get vaccinated for the coronavirus by the first quarter of 2022

• Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted "kids of any age" will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by 2022.
• Schools across the country are in the process of reopening for in-person learning.
• So far, over 22% of the US population has been fully vaccinated against the disease.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases specialist, said on Sunday that all he predicts all kids will be able to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus by the beginning of 2022.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said "kids of any age" should be able to get a vaccine by the first quarter of 2022.

-Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 18, 2021

"Hopefully before then," he said on the show.

Schools across the country are in the process of reopening for in-person learning.

Vaccine testing in kids still underway. Late-stage trial results, however, show that the Pfizer vaccine is highly effective at preventing the coronavirus in kids between the ages of 12 and 15. While children don't typically develop the most severe symptoms of COVID-19, experts say getting them vaccinated is an important step towards herd immunity.

COVID-19 vaccines have been rolling out in the United States since December. Over 22% of the US population has so far been fully vaccinated against the disease, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Vaccinations have been staggered by groups at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Initial vaccines were given out to front-line responders like healthcare workers and people residing in long-term facilities like nursing homes.

Then, the CDC recommended vaccine providers prioritize people over the age of 75 and give them coronavirus vaccines. Some states like New York now allow all people 16 years or older to schedule and receive a vaccine.

In order to be fully vaccinated, individuals must receive two doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Both have high efficacy rates, according to CDC data. CDC officials say getting both doses of either vaccine makes people up to 90% less likely to catch the virus.

Since the start of the pandemic last year, the coronavirus has infected more than 31 million people in the United States, JHU data says. Of that, more than 566,000 Americans have died from it.

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