WASHINGTON (CN) — Anticipating go-aheads next week from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control, the White House announced Thursday its long-anticipated plan to roll out vaccines for children under 5 — the last Americans to be declared jab-eligible by federal regulators.
“I know many parents have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to vaccinate their youngest kids. We share in that eagerness,” coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said of the announcement this morning, speaking at a White House briefing.
Nearly 18 months after the first vaccines were made available for adults, the White House said shots of both Moderna and Pfizer immunizations against the novel coronavirus could be authorized for emergency use by next week and made available as early as June 21 for an estimated 18 million children.
The Biden administration explained Thursday it has 10 million vaccine doses at the ready for states, tribes, territories and health providers that order them, broken up with 5 million for preorder last week and the remaining 5 million this week. So far, the administration has received orders for 2.3 million vaccines doses — around 1.45 million doses of Pfizer and 850,000 doses of Moderna.
Each shot offers children slightly differing experiences.
For children 6 months through 5 years of age, Moderna hosts a two-dose series, with shots spaced about a month apart, that showed to be 37% to 51% effective in clinical trials. Pfizer’s three-dose series for children 6 months through 4 years of age is roughly 80% effective according to clinical trial data. Pfizer receivers would wait a month after their first dose for their second jab, and follow-up with a third jab at least two months later.
Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, said Thursday at the briefing that millions more vaccines will be made available by the federal government for order in the coming weeks. She emphasized that it is not the administration's intent to force the FDA and CDC’s hand by releasing distribution plans in advance of full approval; approval will be at the discretion of these regulators.
“Our teams are hard at work planning for the possibility that FDA and CDC will get the green light in the near future. And if and when they do, we will be ready to deliver,” she said, emphasizing the logistics angle.
Jha added Thursday that the White House has been “planning for this moment for months.”
“If the FDA and CDC recommend these vaccines, this would mark an important moment in the pandemic. It would mean that for the first time, essentially every American, from our oldest to our youngest, would be eligible for the protection that vaccines provide,” he said.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also emphasized Thursday that parents should be cautious about misinformation surrounding Covid-19 vaccination, saying that myths often spread via social media have led to confusion and prevented people from benefiting from life-saving treatments and vaccines. “Please make sure the information you are relying on is coming from trusted sources,” he said.
O’Connell said Thursday that the administration estimates 85% of children under the age of 5 live within five miles of a potential vaccination site, and that the administration has emphasized equity be a priority in distributing vaccines to communities.
Children are expected to be vaccinated at pediatrician’s offices, children’s hospitals, pharmacies and schools, as well as community-facing venues like diaper banks, health centers, museums and libraries.
An FDA advisory panel is schedule to weigh risks and benefits next week. If all goes well, the CDC would give the final green light shortly afterward.
Jha emphasized Thursday that, while the deliberations and the data review for vaccines for kids under 5 are ongoing, data indicates that vaccines have made a big difference for kids over 5 years old.
"Kids who were vaccinated are far less likely to get seriously ill from Covid, they're far less likely to end up in the hospital or in the ICU, and they're far less likely to get complications of Covid," he said.
Follow @@lexandrajones
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
DOJ announces new crime gun intelligence center in Chicago April 17, 2024 -
