Jill Biden kicking off 'nationwide' child vaccine effort

(CNN)First lady Jill Biden plans to embark on a "nationwide effort" to encourage Covid-19 vaccinations for children 5 to 11 years old next week, her office announced Friday.

On Monday, her office said in a statement, Biden "will kick off a nationwide effort urging parents and guardians to vaccinate kids ages 5-11. The First Lady will visit a pediatric Covid-19 vaccination clinic at Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, the first school to administer the polio vaccine in 1954."

The first lady, who is also a community college professor, has previously traveled the country to encourage vaccinations and has also visited schools, highlighting the enormous deficit Covid-19 has caused for many families and teachers and school systems.

Biden's new efforts will target the nation's youngest, most newly eligible vaccine candidates. Friday's announcement comes days after US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed a recommendation to vaccinate children ages 5-11 against Covid-19 with Pfizer's two-dose course.