The Biden administration has rolled out its game plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to pediatricians, children’s hospitals and pharmacies should the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) greenlight the shots for children aged five to 11.
In a press briefing held this morning, Jeff Zients, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, that the federal government has secured enough supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine for all of the country’s 28 million children within that age group.
These shots are unique from those given to adults and adolescents aged 12 to 17, he noted. They consist of a lower dosage, smaller needle and adjusted packaging that will make it easier for pharmacies and pediatricians to administer the shots among other differences, he said.
“We expect the FDA and CDC’s decision on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five through 11 in the next couple of weeks,” Zients said during the briefing. “We know millions of parents have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine for kids in this age group and should the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccine we will be ready to get shots in arms.”
RELATED: Biden doubles down on vaccine mandates, pointing to increased uptake and limited resignations
To do so, the administration said it will be working with state, territory and local governments to make the vaccinations available and more than 25,000 pediatricians’ offices and other primary care sites as well as “tens of thousands” of pharmacies.
The administration also said that it has launched a collaboration with the Children’s Hospital Association that will have more than 100 children’s hospitals and health systems administering the shots in their facilities and in partnership with local organizations.
The federal government’s ground-level efforts will extend to “hundreds” of community, mobile rural and school-based care providers, which earlier vaccine rollout efforts have identified as key players in outreach and delivery efforts, Zients said.
“Thanks to President Biden and the resources of the American Rescue Plan, states, tribes, territories will continue to receive unprecedented levels of federal support, including full reimbursement from the federal government for vaccination operations and outreach programs,” Zients said.
Concurrent with the rollout will be a national public education campaign surrounding the pediatric vaccines that will be headed by the Department for Health and Human Services, according to the White House. This will involve “close collaboration” with major national provider organizations and their local affiliates, investment in trusted messengers among communities and social media Q&A forums headed by the surgeon general, pediatricians and other local leaders.
RELATED: Conflicting federal, state COVID-19 vaccine requirements have hospitals trapped in noncompliance
“We will ensure that vaccinations for kids ages five through 11 are easy, convenient and accessible to every family,” Zients said. “Importantly, as we’ve done throughout all of our vaccination effort, equity and fairness will be at the center of our pediatric vaccination program.”
The Biden administration was previously accused of jumping the gun on booster vaccines for older and high-risk Americans after announcing rollout plans prior to FDA and CDC recommendations.
Responding to press, Zients stressed that its distribution plan is still contingent on the all-clear from those agencies and that their decisions will be made independently. He said that today’s announcements reflect weeks of preparation that are necessary to distribute the shots as quickly as possible should the authorizations come through.
The White House's announcements were quickly applauded by the American Medical Association (AMA), which pointed to the role providers can play in vaccine distribution and awareness.
“Ahead of potential FDA and CDC authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for children between the ages of 5 and 11, the [AMA] is pleased by the Biden Administration’s advance planning and collaboration to ensure enough vaccine supply is available, and that it’s accessible at places parents and kids know and trust, specifically at their own physician’s practice," the group wrote in a statement. "
Recent polling indicates parents are eager to vaccinate their children and protect them from COVID-19. Laying this advance groundwork, ensuring supply is available at physician practices and enabling a patient’s own physician to answer questions are critical to the continued success of this rollout, they wrote.
FDA’s independent advisory committee is scheduled to meet and discuss Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccines on Oct. 26, while the CDC’s equivalent committee is slated for a two-day discussion starting Nov. 2.
Roughly 2 in 3 eligible adults in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the White House. These nearly 190 million people represent about 57% of the country’s total population but stand to be bolstered by as many as 28 million children ages five through 11 should the pediatric shot be authorized.