Bill de Blasio: Tens of Thousands of NYC Children Vaccinated; We Must Focus ‘More Intensely on Vaccination’

Now is the time to focus “more intensely” on vaccination, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said on Monday after announcing that tens of thousands of New York City children have gotten the shot, with vaccination sites appearing at every school that serves students 5 to 11 years old.

“We’re seeing tremendous demand when it comes to the youngest New Yorkers,” de Blasio said, calling it “exciting.” Even though the vaccine has only been available to the 5- to 11-year-old demographic for a “very brief period of time,” the Democrat said they are seeing a “really great response” after focusing on providing vaccination sites in schools.

“Parents are coming out in big numbers to get their kids vaccinated at the school,” he said. “So overall, as you see, 62,000 doses already administered.”

“In our schools alone, our public school sites alone, 22,500 doses. As of today, we will have had a vaccination site at every school that serves 5- to 11-year-olds,” he said, calling it a “great success” and teasing “some additional steps” in their school-based vaccination effort later in the week.

“We love the fact that parents have decided this is a great place to get their kids vaccinated, so we’ll be doing more with our schools. And look — everyone this is a time to focus even more intensely on vaccination, of course, for the youngest New Yorkers,” he said, begging unvaccinated individuals of every age to get the shot.

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According to the mayor, 87 percent of New York City adults are vaccinated, and 80 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds. Those figures come months after the Democrat teased the Key to NYC Pass, which essentially forces certain businesses to discriminate against unvaccinated individuals by denying them service or entry into their establishments.

“It’s time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life,” he said at the time of the announcement.

Overall, de Blasio said his administration will be hyper-focused on vaccinating the youngest demographic. However, as Breitbart News reported, both coronavirus hospitalization rates and mortality rates among children remain extremely low:

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children have represented 16.7 percent of all cases of the virus in the U.S. cumulatively, but the serious reactions are extremely low.

According to the AAP’s data, among states reporting (24 as well as New York City), “children ranged from 1.7%-4.2% of their total cumulated hospitalizations, and 0.1%-2.0% of all their child COVID-19 cases resulted in hospitalization.”

The mortality rate is even lower among children. Among the 45 states reporting, as well as New York City, Guam, and Puerto Rico, children comprised “0.00%-0.26% of all COVID-19 deaths, and 7 states reported zero child deaths.”

“In states reporting, 0.00%-0.03% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death,” according to the AAP.

Nevertheless, the push for coronavirus vaccinations in children comes all the way from the top, as President Biden is personally begging parents to “please” get their children vaccinated.