In the U.S. there are approximately 18 million children ages six months through four years old. These children are at risk of getting COVID-19, especially the Omicron Variant. Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are underway in clinical trials and data collection for children under five years old. The Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for this age group has been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and may receive authorization before other vaccines.
The public health Jurisdictions should plan their ordering strategy now and identify priority locations to vaccinate children ages six months through four years, similar to what they did for vaccination of children ages five through 11 years old. Indian Health Services (IHS), Tribal and Urban Indian Health Programs, and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) programs need to continue coordination through the public health jurisdictions to have directly allotted vaccine supply at the same time as the jurisdictions.. Read more.