COVID-19 vaccines for children, ages 6 months to 5 years old, have started rolling out across the country.
But parents looking for shots in Florida may have a hard time finding them.
Florida is the only state not ordering its doses through the federal government and handling distribution like the rest of the country. That's forcing retail pharmacies, doctors offices, hospitals and community health centers to order them directly from the feds.
Dr. Joseph Perno, vice president of medical affairs at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, said he is more concerned about the mixed messaging coming from Tallahassee than a shortage of the vaccine.
“The fact that we're getting the vaccine as early as today, I don't think it had a major impact,” he said. “I'm more worried about just the message it sends to our families in the state that the state doesn't seem to be as behind the vaccine as most health care providers are for this age group.”
The Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer last week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave its final approval over the weekend.
About 18 million children under 5 nationwide are eligible for the shots.
Moderna's vaccine for that group is two shots about four weeks apart. Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine — a three-dose series of shots — is set for 6-month-olds to 4-year-olds, set over about 12 weeks.
Perno said they received their first shipment of Moderna doses Tuesday.
He recommends that parents looking for the shot should start with their children's pediatrician.
"The first step I would tell parents is, you know, reach out to your pediatrician, see if they're offering the vaccine,” he said. “If not, (check) with the major pharmacy chains, and (check) with local health departments, those would be the best ways to try to figure out where it's at right now."
Some pharmacies are asking that parents contact a pediatrician to schedule a vaccine appointment for children under the age of 3.
- CVS — Vaccinations for children 18 months through 4 years old can be scheduled at MinuteClinic.com.
- Walgreens — Vaccinations for children ages 3 and older are available with appointments beginning Saturday. They can be made on the Walgreens website.
- Sam’s Club — Limited supplies of the vaccine will be available for children ages 3 to 5. Appointments can be made on the Sam’s Club website.
- Walmart — Vaccinations for children ages 3 to 5 can now be made onthe Walmart website. Limited supplies will be available.
Publix and Costco are not currently offering COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5 years old.
Some Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Florida may receive the vaccine for this age group. You can search for one near you here and should call to find out if doses are available.
