White House: First shots for kids under 5 possible by June 21
Published:Thursday | June 2, 2022 | 2:26 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Thursday that children under five may be able to get their first COVID-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if federal regulators authorise shots for the age group as expected.
White House COVID-19 coordinator Aashish Jha outlined the administration's planning for the last remaining ineligible age group to get shots.
He said the Food and Drug Administration's outside panel of advisers will meet on June 14-15 to evaluate the Pfizer and Moderna shots for younger kids.
Shipments to doctors' offices and paediatric care facilities would begin soon after FDA authorisation, with the first shots possible the following week.
Jha said states can begin placing orders for paediatric vaccines on Friday, and said the administration has an initial supply of 10 million doses available.
Jha acknowledged the “frustration” of parents of young children who have been waiting more than a year for shots for their kids.
“At the end of the day we all want to move fast, but we've got to get it right,” he said.
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