Dr Ashish Jha: Infants will get first Covid shot in June
CHILDREN under 5 years old could receive their first Covid-19 shot before the end of this month, White House pandemic response coordinator Dr Ashish Jha has said.
‘We expect that vaccinations will begin in earnest as early as June 21,’ Jha told reporters during a White House press briefing.
Jha, who joined the Biden administration in April, warned that it could take some time for doses to reach vaccination sites across the country, but added that he expected that ‘within weeks, every parent that wants their child to get vaccinated will be able to get an appointment.’
The announcement came one day after Pfizer revealed it had filed its emergency use application with the Food and Drug Administration to administer their Covid-19 vaccine for children as young as 6 months old.
‘We recognize parents are anxious to have their young children vaccinated against Covid-19 and while the FDA cannot predict how long its evaluation of the data and information will take, we will review any EUA request we receive as quickly as possible using a science-based approach,’ the agency said.
Pfizer’s shot for young children would provide just one-tenth of the vaccine dose given to adults.
The FDA’s Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBAC) meet to discuss the emergency use authorization on June 14 and 15th, Jha said Thursday, indicating that the FDA will make their decision ‘soon thereafter.’
However, states can begin to order initial vaccine doses starting Friday. To jump-start the program, the administration will make 10 million doses available to pharmacies, community health centers and federal entities.
‘We expect some of the shipments to start arriving to — in their destinations over that long weekend,’ Jha said, noting that most doctor’s offices will be closed for the Juneteenth holiday. ‘We can’t ship vaccines until the FDA has authorized these vaccines.’
Children currently represent approximately 18.9 percent of all Covid-19 cases reported in the US. Cases among children dramatically spiked during the Omicron winter surge earlier this year and while they have decreased significantly since, AAP found that cases among children have increased for the past seven weeks.