The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years old Friday, a welcome relief to parents of the last age group to become eligible for shots. Although the move will help protect children from infection and serious disease, vaccine hesitancy still looms in the U.S. population where more than 40% of people who qualify for immunization aren’t fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s what you need to know about the shots authorized this week.
What is being offered?
For small children ages 6 months to 5 years, there’s a two-shot series from Moderna Inc. administered one month apart. For kids 4 years and younger, there’s also a three-shot series from Pfizer Inc. and German partner BioNTech SE: The first two doses are given three weeks apart, and the third dose eight weeks after the second dose, according the the FDA.
Moderna’s two-shot vaccine was 51% effective at preventing COVID-19 in children under 2 years and 37% effective for those ages 2 to 5, the FDA said. A preliminary analysis of Pfizer’s vaccine for the youngest kids found it was 80% effective in preventing COVID infections among those 6 months to 4 years, with 10 infections occurring among all participants. The FDA said Friday that the effectiveness data was unreliable because of the low number of cases that occurred in the study participants.
Common side effects of Moderna’s shot can include pain, injection-site swelling and fever, the agency said. For Pfizer’s, the most common side effects included irritability, decreased appetite and fever.
When will the vaccines be available?
A panel of experts — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — counsels the CDC on vaccines and meets Friday and Saturday to discuss the shots for kids. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will still need to sign off on any recommendations before vaccines can be administered. In preparation, the U.S. government has secured a supply of 10 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna for as soon as the FDA and CDC give the go-ahead.
The vaccines for the youngest of kids are expected to be rolled out as early as Tuesday, the Biden administration said earlier this month.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha tweeted on Friday that shots are already starting to ship out.
“What a great week for vaccines for kids under 5! Compelling data the vaccines are safe and effective. External experts vote 21-0 to authorize the vaccines. Now the FDA authorization is in. Next step? CDC weighs in and we start shipping vaccines out today,” he said in the tweet.
Where can little kids get vaccinated?
Once shots are available, appointments can be booked on the vaccines.gov website. Caregivers can also check with their child’s health care provider or local government officials. In New York City, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine tweeted that “10 dedicated hubs will open on Weds 6/22 (assuming fed approval).” Location and hours listed are for Moderna only and are by appointment by calling 877-VAX-4NYC, but walk-ins are also welcome, he said in the tweet.
How much does it cost?
COVID-19 vaccines are still free to all people living in the U.S., regardless of immigration status or health insurance.
What is the sentiment over vaccinating little kids?
Although 49 states have preordered the toddler shots, Florida has not. Last weel, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said there would be no state programs to facilitate distribution and shots would be available only through pharmacies, supermarket chains and community locations that can preorder vaccines directly from the federal government, according to the Associated Press. On Friday, however, DeSantis said the state would now allow health care providers, including pediatricians and children’s hospitals, to order COVID-19 vaccines from a federal program.
Health officials have warned that the rate of hospitalization and death for children, particularly during the omicron wave, has been concerning. In January, kids’ COVID hospitalizations surged to record highs.
While serious cases and deaths among older people have been more prevalent, “I will also say that COVID is one of the top leading killers of children right now,” Walensky said Thursday in a Senate committee hearing. Deaths from COVID-19 among children, have been higher than those seen for flu, she said.
