Millions of children in the US have been vaccinated against COVID-19

The first COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in children ages 12 and older in May 2021. In the year-plus since, have only a minuscule fraction of U.S. children been vaccinated against the virus?

Only if you believe misleading claims circulating on social media. 

"Why did only 325,000 American kids out of 19,000,000 get the shot?" read a screenshot of a tweet shared in a Sept. 23 Instagram post. 

"Because of those of you BRAVE enough to tell the truth to your friends, family or neighbor. Why will several of them have long term disability or WORSE? Because of those of you COWARDS who knew, but did not say."

A caption accompanying the post said, "Less than 2% of American kids means 98% were spared."

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

(Screenshot from Instagram.)

The claim refers only to "the shot" and does not specifically mention the COVID-19 vaccine. But the Twitter account that originally shared the claim has many examples of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and frequently retweets people such as Dr. Simone Gold and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who are known for spreading false information about COVID-19 vaccines.

The post gives the false impression that only a tiny fraction of all American children have been vaccinated against COVID-19, referring to how many "American kids" had received vaccines without specifying that the numbers it cited were for a smaller group of children. 

In this case, the figures cited in the Instagram post represent vaccines given to children in early childhood. But that’s just one subset of all American children, a critical piece of information that the post fails to disclose. 

About 325,000 children ages 6 months to 4 years old were fully vaccinated as of mid-September. And U.S. Census Bureau data showed that there were about 18.8 million children younger than 5 in the U.S. as of July 1, 2021. 

About 40% of the 73.5 million children in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The low vaccination rate among the nation’s youngest children is driven by misinformation and lackluster efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccines, experts told The Washington Post. Vaccination rates among children vary widely across age groups, with older children likelier to be vaccinated. 

Elsa Estrada, 6, smiles at her mother as a pharmacist applies an alcohol swab to her arm before administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pediatric clinic for children set up at Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana, Calif. Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. (AP)

Millions of U.S. children have been vaccinated against the coronavirus since the vaccines became available to them. 

According to analysis by the American Academy of Pediatrics, as of Sept. 21: 

• 1.4 million children ages 6 months to 4 years old had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This represented about 8% of children in that age group. Many children would have only just completed their three-dose Pfizer vaccination series in September, given that the vaccine was authorized for this age group in June.

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• 10.7 million children ages 5 to 11 years old had received their first dose, representing about 38% of children in that age group. About 8.8 million in this age group had completed their two-dose vaccine series.

• 17.6 million children ages 12 to 17 years old had received their first dose, representing about 67% of children in that age group. About 15 million in this age group had completed their two-dose series.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 and older in May 2021. In October that year, the agency expanded the authorization to include children ages 5 to 11. 

Since June 2022, both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for children ages 6 months and older. 

The number of doses required to complete the primary series depends on the vaccine brand and the child’s age. Many children receive two doses in the primary series, but some vaccines include three primary doses for children younger than 5. 

An Instagram post claimed that "only 325,000 American kids out of 19,000,000" were vaccinated against COVID-19.

The figures in the claim refer to a subset of all U.S. children — those ages 6 months to 4 years old — and give the misleading impression that only a tiny fraction of all American children have been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

But data shows that tens of millions of children younger than 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. More than 20 million kids ages 5 to 17 have completed their two-dose vaccine series.

In total, about 40% of the 73.5 million children in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

We rate this claim Mostly False.

RELATED: Ask PolitiFact: Children are far less likely to die from COVID-19. Why do they need vaccination?