Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Long Wait Over: Nearly All Kids Can Now Get A Covid Vaccine
AP: Shots For Tots: COVID Vaccinations Start For Little US Kids
The nation’s infants, toddlers and preschoolers are finally getting their chance at COVID-19 vaccination as the U.S. rolls out shots for tots this week. Shipments arrived in some locations over the weekend and some spots, including a Walgreens in South Carolina and another in New York City, opened up appointments for Monday. (Tanner and Wang, 6/20)
USA Today: Youngest Americans Can Start Getting COVID-19 Vaccines Tuesday. Here's What Every Parent Should Know
COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest Americans will be available starting Tuesday. Though some parents can't wait to vaccinate their young children, others remain hesitant or adamantly opposed. In polling data from April, 18% of parents said they would vaccinate their young child right away, and 27% said they definitely wouldn't and 38% said they'd wait and see. The coronavirus has been less dangerous for children, especially small ones, than for older adults. That doesn't mean it's harmless. More than 200 children ages 1-4 have died from COVID-19, and 20,000 have been hospitalized with the disease. (Weintraub, 6/20)
Stat: CDC Endorses Pfizer, Moderna Covid Vaccines For Children Under 5
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Saturday that children as young as 6 months old receive Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The move follows an unanimous vote earlier in the day by an advisory panel of outside experts known as Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. “Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against COVID-19. We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a statement. (Mast, 6/18)
Some parents are still leery —
The New York Times: Vaccines For Young Children Are Coming, But Many Parents Have Tough Questions
Sunny Baker, 35, a mother of two in Oxford, Miss., said she vaccinated her older daughter, Hattie Ruth, 5, at the first chance, and has been eagerly waiting for her 2-year-old daughter, Alma Pearl, to qualify. “Yes, yes, yes! We would love to be first in line,” she said. But Ms. Baker may very well be in the minority: A recent Kaiser Health poll found that only one in five parents will get their young children vaccinated immediately. Many plan to hold off for now. (Mandavilli, 6/18)
The Boston Globe: Local Parents Of Small Children Are Divided Over Whether To Get Them Vaccinated Against COVID
Katherine Haenschen told her 2-year-old son they will both be crying at the next visit to the pediatrician — the boy, because he’ll get stuck with a needle, and the mom because she’ll be overjoyed to finally protect him from COVID-19. “We put our children in car seats. We put safety covers over electrical outlets,” she said. “This is another piece of doing the best we can to protect our children.” But in her eagerness to vaccinate her child, Haenschen, a Northeastern University professor who lives in Brookline, may be in the minority among parents. (Freyer and Damiano, 6/20)
The Washington Post: Should My Child Get A Coronavirus Vaccine? Is It Safe? Here’s What You Should Know
The coronavirus does not typically cause serious illness in children, but they are still at risk. Data shows that of the more than 13.5 million children in the United States who have tested positive for the coronavirus, more than 40,000 have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died. To put that into better perspective: 188 children died of influenza during the 2019-2020 season — mostly before the pandemic, which brought about protective measures such as masking and social distancing. (Bever and Chiu, 6/18)
In updates from Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, and the Mid-Atlantic —
AP: White House: Florida Doctors Can Order Under-5 COVID Shots
Florida doctors will be able to order COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 from the federal government, the White House said Friday, after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would not order and distribute the shots in the state. The state was the only jurisdiction in the nation to decline to place advance orders for the pediatric shots, which received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Friday. Final authorization from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected in the coming days, clearing the way for the last remaining unvaccinated age group to obtain shots. The vaccines will be available to children as young as six months. (Miller, 6/17)
The Boston Globe: Starting Tuesday, Mass. Parents Can Book COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments For Their Children Under 5
Starting Tuesday, Massachusetts parents and guardians of children under 5 years old will be able to book appointments to get the youngsters COVID-19 vaccinations, after the CDC recommended the jab for kids as young as 6 months. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services said parents will have the ability to view available appointment locations on the vaxfinder.mass.gov website. The children are eligible to receive either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the agency said in a statement. The Pfizer shot for the youngest children is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later. (Andersen, 6/20)
Dallas Morning News: Dallas County Could Begin Vaccinating Kids Under 5 Tuesday Against COVID-19
Children under 5 could get their first COVID-19 vaccination as soon as Tuesday afternoon at county immunization clinics now that they have federal approval, said Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang. “This is great news. Parents and kids have been waiting for this,” he told The Dallas Morning News. The federal Food and Drug Administration panel endorsed the safety of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines Wednesday for children as young as six months old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed the recommendation on Saturday, allowing providers to begin the immunizations. (Peterson, 6/20)
The Washington Post: FAQ: How To Get The Pediatric Coronavirus Vaccine In The D.C. Area
How will the pediatric vaccines be distributed in D.C., Maryland and Virginia? The Washington Post asked state and local health officials. (Chu and Cox, 6/20)
