The federal government is calling on pediatric providers to help vaccinate children under 5 once a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for this age group, as pharmacies may have limited abilities to do so.
The government issued the call in a preliminary planning guide released this week, the American Hospital Association said Feb. 3.
To supplement pharmacy vaccination activities and ensure young children have access to the COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. is encouraging Vaccines For Children healthcare providers to enroll as COVID-19 vaccine providers. Vaccines for Children is a federal program that gives private physician offices and public health clinics free vaccines to give to children who otherwise couldn't afford them.
Similar to the previous vaccine rollouts for other age groups, states will determine which locations receive vaccine supplies. The government said it will also provide additional training on immunizing young children for participating providers.
Pfizer and BioNTech submitted an emergency-use authorization request to the FDA for their two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen for kids 5 and under Feb. 1. If authorized by the FDA and recommended by the CDC, the vaccine could become available for young children by the end of February.
View the full guide here.