In anticipation of a full FDA approval for the COVID-19 vaccine for toddlers, most states have begun pre-ordering the vaccines, except for Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced earlier this week that he will not be pre-ordering the vaccines for children five and under.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed Florida’s status as the outlier and says that not pre-ordering the vaccines could cause a delay in their availability in children’s hospitals and other facilities:
“We encouraged Florida on several occasions to order vaccines,” Jean-Pierre said. By not doing so, the state “will not have immediate, ready access to some,” she said.
Despite DeSantis’ decision not to pre-order the vaccine, he says that they will be made available for parents who wish to give the vaccine to their children:
“Doctors can get it. Hospitals can get it. 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,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “That’s not where we’re gonna be utilizing our resources.”
Final federal approval for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for ages 6 months through 5 years could come as early as next week.
The FDA reported that the benefits of the shots outweigh any risks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends the vaccine saying it provides strong protection against hospitalization and death.
The only agency that appears to differ in opinion is Florida’s Health Department. The department says that they do not recommend COVID vaccines for healthy children under 17, but says children with underlying health conditions should be considered candidates for them.