White House COVID coordinator Ashish Jha said on Thursday that COVID vaccinations for the youngest kids could begin as early as June 21 if the shots are cleared by federal regulators, according to a report by The Hill.
Jha told reporters at a White House press briefing on the status of vaccination efforts that they expect vaccinations will begin in earnest as early as Tuesday, June 21, and really roll out throughout that week.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers are scheduled to discuss vaccinations for children 6 months to 4 years old during a June 14-15 meeting, and White House officials expect the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make their recommendations soon after. Jha added that vaccines would start arriving at health care facilities the following weekend if they are approved.
U.S. government plans to make 10 million doses available
Parents have been anxiously awaiting COVID jabs for young children - kids under the age of 5 are the only ones unable to get shots at this time in the United States. The White House had been expecting to start vaccinating the youngest age group in the U.S. as early as February, but the timeline was unfortunately pushed back after Pfizer said that two doses of its vaccine did not generate a strong enough immune response in a trial of kids under 5.
The vaccinations for the youngest children require a formulation different from those for adults and older kids, according to NBC News. Jha said on Thursday that the United States has plenty of supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines specifically formulated for the youngest kids.
The federal government plans to make 10 million doses available for states, health centers, and pharmacies to order starting Friday, June 3, and those doses will be shipped as soon as the shots are cleared by the FDA, according to Jha. The White House is asking states to distribute the first doses to places with kids at the highest risk, including hard-to-reach areas and hospitals.
Moderna and Pfizer seeking authorization for COVID vaccines
According to Channel News Asia, Moderna has filed with the FDA seeking authorization for a two-dose regimen of its vaccine, called Spikevax, in kids ages 6 months to 6 years old. Pfizer has not yet completed its FDA authorization application but the company's clinical trial tested a three-dose course of the COVID vaccine for kids ages 6 months to under 5 years old.
Moderna plans to use a 25 microgrammes dose in that particular age group, which is lower than the 100 microgrammes used in the first two doses in adults and the 50 microgrammes used as a booster dose for non-immunocompromised adults. Moderna administered the two doses 28 days apart in its clinical trial.
Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID vaccine for children, called Comirnaty, was tested as a 3 microgramme formulation in kids below 5 years old.
