WASHINGTON — Every state has placed an order with the federal government to ensure coronavirus vaccines for young children are delivered as soon as regulators authorize their use — except for one.
Florida has yet to request delivery of COVID-19 pediatric vaccines for children under 5, missing yesterday’s deadline for preorders and guaranteeing a delay in access for parents across the state, according to two U.S. government sources.
All other 49 states placed orders, which will be delivered in two tranches beginning as early as Monday to thousands of pediatrician’s offices, children’s hospitals, pharmacies and health centers across the country. Those facilities in Florida will not have access during this time and will remain without supply until Florida places an order.
The Florida Department of Health and the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Children under 5 are the last remaining individuals still ineligible for coronavirus vaccines — a long wait for parents across the country as vaccine manufacturers and regulators conducted lengthy trials and data reviews.
An independent advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration met over the past two days to review data submitted by Pfizer on its vaccine for children under 5, and by Moderna on its vaccine for those under 6.
If approved by the committee, a separate advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet on Friday and Saturday to make recommendations for their use.
The CDC director could then sign off on distribution as early as this weekend, making shots available as early as Monday.
“We are prepared to make vaccines readily available for our youngest kids pending FDA and CDC decisions, and we will deploy them as quickly as possible to their distribution channels for administration,” said a U.S. government source. “Without Florida ordering vaccines, pediatricians and children’s hospitals will initially be without vaccines, and Florida kids will be severely limited in their ability to get vaccinated.”
All preorders are expected to be delivered in the first week and a half of availability across the rest of the country.
Parents in Florida seeking vaccines for their children will still have two options to access the shots. Some community health centers have ordered vaccines directly through the federal government. And federal pharmacy partners will also have supply, although several chains will be prioritizing children ages 3 and up.
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