NYC to Pay Kids to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19

New York City is offering kids a financial incentive to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said kids ages 5 to 11 will be eligible to receive $100 after they get vaccinated.

“Everyone can use a little more money around the holidays but most importantly we want our kids and our families to be safe,” de Blasio said.

The announcement comes two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use for children ages 5 to 11.

NBC New York noted starting next week, every public school in the city will have a dedicated vaccination day for students within that age range.

According to de Blasio, that means roughly 1,070 school vaccination sites over a week and approximately 200 school sites per day.

If parents choose to have their kids vaccinated at school, they need to be present or give verbal consent over the phone.

“All choices are good choices, but we want to make it available and easy for parents who prefer just to go to their local school building,” de Blasio added.

A health department spokesperson told the outlet in a statement Wednesday, New York “will waste no time in helping get shots administered to children ages 5-11 through all available channels so that New York parents and guardians can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

The individual added, “Providers can start administering pediatric doses for 5-11 year-olds today, as long as they have pediatric doses on hand and are administering the vaccines according to the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization and the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine provider agreement.”

A recent survey published by the Kaiser Family Foundation found the majority of parents will not have their children vaccinated immediately, as IJR reported.

Among parents of children between the ages of 5 and 11, only 27% said they would have their children get the vaccine as soon as it becomes available.