CDC Director Rochelle Walensky gave her seal of approval on COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months or older on Saturday, meaning children can immediately begin to get vaccinated. The decision follows the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices unanimous vote to recommend vaccines for children older than six months. Parents have been waiting for nearly two and a half years for this authorization. “Vaccinating young children is a critical opportunity to protect them against hospitalization and death from COVID-19,” Walensky said in a video statement. “I hope all parents will take advantage of these life-saving vaccines.” Health experts are urging parents to vaccinate their children. “We want to say today that if you’re not going to immunize your children, we think that’s a misplaced concern and that you should immunize your children to save their lives," committee member Dr. Sarah Long, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, told NBC.