Florida only state not to preorder COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 ahead of expected approval
Pediatricians and children’s hospitals in Florida are scrambling to figure out how to deal with a potential delay getting COVID-19 vaccine for young children after Florida became the only state not to preorder supply.
Every state except Florida put in an order to the federal government by a deadline Tuesday in anticipation of regulators authorizing use of the vaccines for children under 5.
An expert panel earlier this week unanimously found Moderna's vaccine safe for children 6 months to 6 years old for providing protection against the virus. The committee voted to support a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years.
The vaccines could be available as soon as Tuesday if the Food and Drug Administration’s commissioner and the Centers for Disease Control signs off for use in this age group.
The Biden administration has made 10 million vaccines for young children available as soon as approval is provided, which will be delivered to children’s hospitals, pediatricians and pharmacies.
More: FDA panel recommends Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for youngest kids
The vaccine will be made available free at pharmacies across the country, but the Biden administration is making a big push for pediatricians and primary care providers, children's museums, libraries, children's hospitals and health clinics.
When asked about Florida being the only state not to order supply as reported by the Miami Herald, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday: “We encouraged Florida on several occasions to order vaccines and we continue to do so.”
What are hospitals saying?
Officials at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, which has outpatient centers in Fort Myers and Sarasota, said it typically waits to receive supply from the state.
"While we understand the state of Florida has not ordered vaccine supply, we are looking into other ways to provide the vaccine for this vulnerable age group as we wait for full authorization and recommendations at the federal level," a hospital statement said.
Officials at Lee Health in Lee County, which owns the regional Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, did not signal any alarm about the state's decision not to preorder supply.
"Lee Health will have vaccine available for parents who choose to vaccinate their 6-month to 5-year-old children once the COVID vaccines receive (emergency use authorization) approval from the federal government," Dr. Stephanie Stovall, chief clinical officer of quality and safety said. "We recommend parents consult with their pediatricians on what is best for their children."
A spokesman for CVS Health, the national pharmacy chain, said CVS is not impacted.
"As a federal pharmacy partner, we are able to order vaccines directly from the federal government,' spokesman Matt Blanchette said in an email.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday defended Florida’s choice against pre-ordering COVID-19 vaccines for children under the age of five.
“Our Department of Health has been very clear,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Miami. “The risks outweigh the benefits and we recommend against.”
DeSantis blamed “media hysteria” and misinformation as the motive for urging vaccinations upon young children.
Florida recommends vaccinations only for individuals five and older, despite an FDA panel recently saying the vaccine is safe for children six months and older.
DeSantis said Floridians are still “free to choose,” but explained Florida will not use state resources to inoculate young children.
“There’s a surplus of this. Doctors can get it. Hospitals can get it,” he said. “But there’s not going to be any state programs that are going to be trying to get COVID jabs to infants and toddlers and newborns. That’s not something we think is appropriate.”
Jeremy Redfern, spokesman for the state Department of Health, said the state agency has made it clear to the federal government that states do not need to be involved in the “convoluted vaccine distribution process” especially when the federal government has a track record of developing inconsistent and unsustainable COVID-19 policies.
“It is also no surprise we chose not to participate in distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine when the Department does not recommend it for all children. Doctors can order vaccines if they are in need, and there are currently no orders in the Department’s ordering system for the COVID-19 vaccine for this age group.”
Although young children have largely been spared the worst of COVID-19, they can become seriously ill, and more than 200 have died from infections, according to data presented by the FDA.
Half of the young children hospitalized with COVID-19 did not have any preexisting conditions before they fell ill, the FDA said.
(USA Today Florida reporter Jason Delgado and USA Today reporter Maureen Groppe contributed to this report.)
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: DeSantis and state regulators shunned pre-ordering COVID-19 vaccine for kids
