Sharjah24 - Reuters: The rollout in the United States this week of COVID vaccines for children as young as six months is likely to start slowly, and then pick up in the coming days, according to White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized Moderna Inc's shot for children aged six months to five years, and Pfizer-BioNTech's, vaccine for children aged six months to four years.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday recommended the shots, allowing the rollout to begin.

While many parents in the United States are eager to vaccinate their children, it is unclear how strong demand will be for the shots. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for children aged 5 to 11 in October, but only about 29% of that group is so far fully vaccinated, federal data shows.

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, on CNN television on Tuesday, advised parents to take the virus seriously, saying that nearly 500 children had died and more than 30,000 children under 5 had been hospitalized since the pandemic began.