Idaho orders COVID-19 vaccines for children 5 to 11, awaits FDA approval

Idaho officials have ordered 44,700 doses of the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be ready to distribute once it’s approved, said Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist.

An advisory panel on Tuesday afternoon recommended that the Food and Drug Administration approve emergency use authorization of the Pfizer shots for children ages 5 to 11. The doses could be available to young kids as early as the first week of November.

“That really changes the landscape for children and parents who have been waiting for this,” Hahn said in a press briefing Tuesday.

About 12,000 pediatric doses will be shipped directly to pharmacies throughout Idaho, Hahn said.

The FDA will still need to give the nod before the vaccine is available, though. Advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to meet Nov. 2 to discuss recommendations for the vaccine.

Idaho’s public health officials have warned that the latest COVID-19 surge has placed younger patients in the hospital without underlying health conditions. Hospitals reported 15 pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19 in early October.

A shot for young children would contain one-third of the dose used for adults. Children still would need a second dose about three weeks after their first shot.