COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 could be ready as early as next week, doctors say
As healthcare professionals and families across the country await the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, doctors are preparing to facilitate the distribution of the vaccine as soon as it becomes available, UPMC pediatrician Dr. Pamela Schoemer said.
“This is just such an excitement for all of us,” said Schoemer, who is director of quality, safety and outcomes at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, and works as a pediatrician at Children’s Community Pediatrics Shenango in New Castle. “We really want to get this younger population protected.”
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have unanimously been approved for emergency use through an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration and have been recommended for use with children over 6 months old by the FDA.
The vaccines are now awaiting approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which could come as early as Saturday, June 18. Its independent advisers began discussing the vaccines Friday and a recommendation is anticipated Saturday.
Schoemer said that as soon as the vaccines are approved, UPMC hopes to move quickly to make them available to families.
“Our hope is that if it is approved in the next couple days, we would be able to start to administer first vaccines as early as later next week,” she said.
The Moderna vaccine is a two-dose series, while the Pfizer vaccine for under-5-year-olds is a three-dose series.
“Our plan is to use Moderna because of the two-dose series,” Schoemer said. “Both are effective, so supply may determine what vaccine is available.”
The distribution of the vaccine will be similar to how the health system administered vaccines for older kids, she said.
“Luckily, we have done this now for the other age group, so we have some systems already in place,” Schoemer said. “We’ll have to make a few new ones, or adjust a few of our workflows for this younger population. Our offices are already starting to prepare for looking for dates, making sure we can capitalize on some of the systems we have used in the past to get parents in as quickly as possible.”
Because many kids under 5 are so young that they may not be able to wear a mask, she said, walk-in clinics will not be as much of an option, but scheduling clinics at pediatric offices and nurse visits specifically for vaccination will be the primary way of getting the vaccine to young children.
“Our hope is they will be able to schedule, in most cases, online, but they may also need to call to get an appointment time,” she said. “With time, our access will increase even more, but again, if we can get first vaccines in as quickly (as possible), I think that’s quite an accomplishment.”
As a pediatrician, Schoemer says she has seen “enthusiasm” among parents that the vaccine may soon become available.
“I think most people recognize these younger children deserve that same protection that we’ve been able to offer to older children and adults — not only for severe disease, but for the inconvenience of worrying about school attendance and day care, just getting back to life,” she said. “Because that certainly has been something a lot of our families have been struggling with, day cares closing down because of infection, and hesitation to join in activities. This is going to open that up a little bit for them.”
Getting vaccinated is still important for kids even in the face of possible breakthrough infections from the Omicron variant of COVID-19, she said.
“While it may not protect against all disease, it certainly protects against disease that is going to be mores severe, something that would lead to hospitalization, or a worse outcome,” she said. “We would encourage everyone to get a vaccine.”
