FDA panel recommends COVID-19 vaccines for little kids, but questions remain about where they’ll be available in Illinois

Mary MacMillan is eager to get her 2-year-old son vaccinated against COVID-19, once vaccines are authorized for young kids. But she has a lot of questions about how to get the shots.

MacMillan’s pediatrician doesn’t plan to offer the vaccines. She won’t be able to take her son to most pharmacies because Illinois pharmacists are only allowed to vaccinate children 3 and older. It’s also not yet clear how many schools will hold vaccination events for young children this summer.

“The first thing is figuring out where we can get him a vaccine,” said MacMillan of Crystal Lake. “I’ve been looking like crazy. Nobody’s posted anything, so it’s like the worst waiting game ever.”

Many parents are watching closely this week as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider whether to authorize vaccines for children younger than 5 — the only age group that’s still not eligible for vaccines. An FDA advisory committee recommended Wednesday that the agency grant emergency use authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for young kids, and a CDC advisory committee is holding meetings Friday and Saturday. Once the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccines, shots could start going into arms within days.

But uncertainty remains about how some young Illinois children will get the shots considering that Illinois pharmacists aren’t allowed to vaccinate children under 3, many schools are closed for the summer and not all pediatricians plan to offer them.

Also, vaccines made by two manufacturers, Moderna and Pfizer, may be authorized at the same time, leaving parents with a decision about whether to angle for one over the other.

The Moderna vaccine for children younger than 5 is supposed to be given in two doses, about four weeks apart. The Pfizer vaccine for young kids consists of three doses, given over the course of about 11 weeks. The FDA has said that both vaccines are effective.

Many parents are gearing up to navigate the questions and complexities.

Bianca Haracz, of Schaumburg, would have preferred her 2-year-old son be vaccinated at a pharmacy, for convenience. But because pharmacists can’t vaccinate kids under 3, Haracz has already called her son’s pediatrician to find out if he can get his shot there. He can, she said, but she’s not yet sure whether his pediatrician will offer the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines — and she wants Moderna for him, partly because the time to full vaccination is shorter.

“I’m not waiting another three months,” she said of roughly how long it would take for him to be fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. “It’s been three years.”

Over that time, she and her son have gotten COVID-19 twice. During one bout, she developed pneumonia and long-COVID, with fatigue for months. At one point, her son had a fever of 104 degrees for days.

“That’s not something I really want for my child ever again,” Haracz said. “I’m not paranoid, I know he will likely survive it. But I would just like to do anything I can to minimize that.”

Child care has also been a challenge at times, she said, because her son has been quarantined from school each time he’s been exposed. Now, unvaccinated children who are exposed to COVID-19 often have to stay home from school or day care for days, meaning parents must also stay home from work or juggle work with caring for young children, who often need near-constant attention.

“Every time a kid gets this illness, because they’re unvaccinated, everyone is home for a week,” Haracz said. “How do you expect me to pay my bills or, more importantly, my taxes?”

Local health leaders say that the rollout of vaccines to children younger than 5 will look somewhat different from rollouts to older age groups. But they say plenty of opportunities will still be available.

The city of Chicago said in a statement it’s ready to start administering vaccines to young children, after the shots are authorized, and it’s planning a series of city-run vaccination sites and partnerships, including with Chicago Public Schools. The Chicago Department of Public Health said it will share more details once the vaccines gain authorization.

Chicago Public Schools confirmed in a statement that it’s working with the city health department and expects to offer vaccines for children under 5 at CPS-operated vaccination events. School-based vaccination opportunities for students, employees and family members are expected to resume when CPS schools open for summer programs July 5.

Also, though pharmacists can’t give vaccines to children under 3, a number of CVS Health stores have MinuteClinics in them that can vaccinate children 18 months and older because they’re staffed by family nurse practitioners, physician associates and nurses.

Many pediatricians also plan to offer the shots in their offices, and local health leaders are urging parents to try their pediatricians first.

Some health systems, including University of Chicago Medicine and Advocate Aurora Health, plan to push the vaccines out to their pediatricians as soon as they get them.

“We think the best place for these children to get vaccines is in their pediatricians because parents trust their pediatricians,” said Dr. John Cunningham, pediatrician-in-chief at University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital.

Other pediatricians, however, may not have the vaccines in their offices at first. Lurie Children’s Hospital plans to offer the vaccines in dedicated areas at its downtown hospital, but not all of its pediatric practices will have the shots right away, said Dr. Larry Kociolek, medical director of infection prevention and control at Lurie.

“These clinics are already seeing patients for well child care, for summer physicals, for management of chronic diseases, and space and staffing do not always allow any significant expansion of appointment slots,” Kociolek said. Lurie plans, initially, to offer only the Moderna vaccine because the two-dose regimen is easier on patients and families, he said.

Esperanza Health Centers, which had mass vaccination sites when vaccines for adults and older children were approved, also plans to make COVID-19 vaccines available during vaccination appointments with nurses and regular appointments for kids. But it’s not planning another mass vaccination site for little kids. Rather, it will have a smaller vaccine clinic at its Brighton Park location, said Dr. Mark Minier, medical director of pediatrics at Esperanza.

It’s hoping to offer both Moderna and Pfizer.

“We don’t anticipate the demand is going to be as large,” Minier said. For Esperanza, that’s partly because it doesn’t have a huge number of very young patients, he said.

But many providers expect lower demand than what they faced when vaccines became available to adults. Though some parents are desperate to get their young children vaccinated, many others are hesitant. Children ages 5 to 11 have been eligible for vaccines since the fall, but only 37% in Illinois are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department.

“I would love to set up a mass vaccination campaign and have thousands of children come in, but unfortunately, that’s probably not how this is going to play out,” said Dr. Allison Bartlett, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital.

Bartlett cautioned that though COVID-19 is usually not very serious in children, some kids do get very sick.

“We’re learning more about post-COVID and long COVID complications, and these young children have a long life in front of them, so we definitely want to do everything we can to protect their health and the health of their loved ones who may be more vulnerable,” Bartlett said.

MacMillan, of Crystal Lake, said her son got COVID-19 at day care in January. He ran a fever, was coughing and lost his appetite. Even after he recovered from the worst of it, he was tired for weeks afterward, she said.

She plans to get him vaccinated as soon as she possibly can. She and her husband are hoping for the Moderna vaccine but won’t wait if Pfizer is available sooner.

After waiting more than two years for a vaccine for her son, MacMillan doesn’t want to wait anymore.

“I don’t want him to go through it again,” MacMillan said. “I’m ready for him to have that and be a little more protected.”

lschencker@chicagotribune.com