Pfizer Pediatric Vaccination Program to Be ‘at Full Strength’ Next Week, White House Says

Politics|A White House authoritative says the Pfizer pediatric vaccination programme is acceptable to beryllium ‘at afloat strength’ adjacent week.

• Nov. 1, 2021Updated 5:00 p.m. ET

Though respective cardinal pediatric doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine should beryllium disposable successful the adjacent fewer days, the vaccination programme for children aged 5 to 11 successful the United States volition lone commencement “running astatine afloat strength” successful the 2nd week of November, a apical White House authoritative said connected Monday.

Jeffrey D. Zients, the administration’s pandemic effect coordinator, said that the authorities volition present respective cardinal doses to doctors’ offices, pharmacies, wellness clinics and different sites wrong the adjacent mates of days. But helium appeared to dampen expectations that each the pending orders that states person placed for pediatric vaccine would beryllium filled close away.

“We are readying connected immoderate vaccinations towards the extremity of this week,” helium said, adding that the authorities volition present a full of 15 cardinal doses “across the adjacent week oregon so.”

There are 28 cardinal children aged 5 to 11 successful the United States. Surveys bespeak that lone astir 1 successful 3 parents volition licence their children to beryllium vaccinated immediately.

Mr. Zients, speaking astatine a White House briefing, said the authorities began shipping doses wrong minutes of the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization Friday afternoon of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine connected an exigency ground for young children. “We began the process of moving 15 cardinal doses from Pfizer’s freezers and facilities to organisation centers,” helium said. From there, officials said, they volition beryllium shipped to astir 20,000 vaccination sites, including children’s hospitals, pharmacies, pediatrician’s offices and wellness clinics.

“More doses volition beryllium packed and shipped and delivered each and each time implicit the adjacent week,” helium said.

The pediatric rollout depends connected recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sets vaccine policy. The bureau often follows recommendations from its advisory sheet of experts, which is gathering Tuesday connected the taxable of Pfizer doses for children 5 to 11 years old.

Mr. Zients said setbacks to Moderna’s hopes to connection its vaccine to adolescents and younger children would not impact the vaccination campaign, due to the fact that the authorities was counting lone connected the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those property groups. “We’re successful large signifier connected supply,” helium said. “We person much than capable vaccine for each kid 5 to 11.”

Over the weekend, Moderna announced that it would hold asking for regulatory authorization of a half-dose of its vaccine for children aged 6 to 11. The institution decided to propulsion backmost aft regulators informed the institution that they whitethorn not implicit their reappraisal this twelvemonth of Moderna’s earlier petition to connection a afloat dose of its vaccine to adolescents 12 to 17.