Florida is only state that hasn’t ordered Covid vaccines for kids under 5

Florida parents with kids under 5 years old may find themselves waiting longer than the rest of the country to get their youngest children vaccinated against Covid since state officials have decided not to order any doses for that age group.

Florida is the only state that hasn’t submitted a request with the federal government for doses of the Covid vaccine specifically tailored for children ages six months to five years in anticipation of U.S. regulators giving clearance for that age bracket as early as this weekend, said a person familiar with the matter.

The Florida Department of Health said the state was choosing not to order vaccines from the federal government and instead leaving it to individual doctors to request vaccines directly.

The agency said in a statement it “has made it clear to the federal government that states do not need to be involved in the convoluted vaccine distribution process, especially when the federal government has a track record of developing inconsistent and unsustainable COVID-19 policies.”

“It is also no surprise we chose not to participate in distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine when the Department does not recommend it for all children,” the agency added.

The Miami Herald first reported Florida’s outlier status.

Food and Drug Administration advisers voted Wednesday to recommend approval of Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines for young children, and FDA officials are expected to authorize the vaccines in the coming days. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to vote on whether to endorse the shots this weekend.

Children under age five are the only group not yet able to get vaccinated against Covid due to months of delays as vaccine makers conducted additional studies.

At least 442 children under 5 have died due to Covid through the end of May, exceeding the number or deaths typically seen from flu or other severe respiratory illnesses, Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, told the FDA committee Wednesday.