White House Secures 28 Million Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for Kids in Advance of FDA and CDC Approvals

The White House has secured 28 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric COVID-19 vaccine and plans to roll out the jabs for kids age five to 11 as soon as the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) give the go-ahead for vaccines in that age group.

The Biden administration made the announcement Wednesday, weeks ahead of FDA and CDC making public decisions about the vaccines for kids.

In its announcement, the White House was careful to say “if” and “when” the vaccine is approved, likely due to the chaos that occurred in August, when it announced before FDA had approved a COVID-19 booster that it planned to begin distributing booster shots the week of Sept. 20.

“Our planning efforts mean that we will be ready to begin getting shots in arms in the days following a final CDC recommendation,” the White House said.

Pfizer and BioNTech filed for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 years in early October, and the agency’s vaccine advisory panel will take up the matter at a meeting on Oct. 26 (DID, Oct. 8).

A vaccine advisory panel to the CDC will meet Nov. 2 and 3 to make a recommendation for use.

Once all those steps are complete, the vaccine can be administered.

In partnership with states and localities, the administration said it will make vaccinations available at doctors’  offices in more than 25,000 pediatric offices and other primary care sites, and 100 children's hospitals. The White House also said it will work with states and local partners to make vaccination sites available at schools and other community-based sites, as well as community health centers and rural health clinics.

As part of the preparations, HHS will conduct a national public education campaign to reach parents and guardians with “accurate and culturally responsive information about the vaccine” and the risks that COVID-19 poses to children, the White House said. — Suz Redfearn