Miami (AP) – Florida is the only state that has not pre-ordered vaccines against COVID-19 for young children pending their final approval by the federal government, and Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he would not facilitate their spread, although said they will be available to those who want them.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre, who reaffirmed Florida’s state of emergency on Thursday, said not ordering vaccines could mean delaying their availability in children’s hospitals and other facilities that rely on government distribution of the vaccines.
Florida officials said the pockets would be available at pharmacies and public health centers that can order them directly from the federal government, and that children’s hospitals and other clinics will be able to order them from the federal government through a state portal and receive them quickly.
“Doctors can get it. Hospitals can get it. But there will be no government programs trying to get COVID-19 on babies, young children and newborns, “DeSantis told a news conference. “That’s not where we’re going to use our resources.”
Final approval may come this weekend for vaccines for children under 5. The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers on Wednesday lifted the thumbs up of the children’s doses of Pfizer and Moderna for children under 6 months of age, deciding the benefits of the vaccines outweigh any risks.
The Florida Department of Health does not recommend vaccines against COVID-19 for healthy children under the age of 17, but says children with concomitant health conditions should be considered candidates. This advice contradicts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, which has so far recommended vaccines for anyone aged 5 and over, saying the vaccines provide strong protection against hospitalization and death.
In Florida, pharmacies and several supermarket chains, as well as some public health centers, can pre-order vaccines directly from the federal government. Other places such as hospitals have previously benefited from pre-ordering photos by the state. However, they can also order them directly from the federal government through the Florida government’s web portal and receive the doses within days or weeks, said health spokeswoman Jeremy Redfern.
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, which has several centers in South Florida, had previously ordered vaccines through the state portal, officials said.
“As a health institution, our goal is to keep our community healthy and safe, and we will follow the ongoing process to order approved vaccines for children,” said spokesman Curting Baldwin.
Pre-ordering the photos would mean the Florida Department of Health would store them, send them to county health departments and then to hospitals, Redfern said. Hospitals using the portal will receive photos directly from the federal government, he said.
“The weather doesn’t necessarily change,” Redfern said. “It just cuts the average person out.”
Jean-Pierre told a news conference in Washington that parents would have access to children’s vaccines through federal distribution channels in pharmacies and public health centers, “but these are limited opportunities.”
“We have repeatedly encouraged Florida to order vaccines,” said Jean-Pierre. By failing to do so, the state “will not have immediate, ready access to some,” she said.
Dr. Michel Kiruan, chief physician and pediatrician at the Center for the Enrichment of Families and Children in Suburban Miami Gardens, said the center receives its supplies directly through a federal program.
But she said she was worried that the state, which does not facilitate the program, could confuse parents. She also said that some children in this age group may be at higher risk and their families are still unaware of this.
“I think it increases anxiety, which leads to indecision and delay,” Dr. Kirvan said. Will they say, “Who should I listen to?” Will this harm my baby? They are between stone and anvil. ”
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