Where can babies and toddlers get COVID vaccines in Miami and the rest of Florida?
Now that federal regulators have authorized COVID-19 vaccines for infants and toddlers, parents are one step closer to vaccinating their little ones in Florida.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday granted emergency use authorization to COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for kids as young as 6 months old. On Saturday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky recommended the vaccines to be given to kids under 5, following the advice of an independent advisory committee.
When will the COVID vaccine for babies, toddlers be available in Florida?
Officials say the vaccines could start arriving this week at pediatrician offices, hospitals, health centers and select retail pharmacies across the country. In Florida, it’s expected to take longer for pediatricians and children’s hospitals to get the shots because the state didn’t preorder the vaccines with the federal government.
Florida was the only state that didn’t preorder the vaccines ahead of the approval of the shots by the FDA and CDC, angering some doctors. Since Florida missed the preordering deadline, it could take up to two weeks for pediatricians and hospital to receive vaccines based on orders placed Friday, the Miami Herald reported.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the state’s top health official, is not recommending the vaccines be given to healthy children, saying there is “insufficient data to inform benefits and risk in children,” a contrast to the guidance given by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as the Herald has reported.
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Walensky, the CDC director, in a Saturday briefing, said that after a “scientific rigorous review,” the pediatric vaccines were found to be safe and effective in children under 5. While kids are at less risk for severe COVID illness than adults, some kids do get hospitalized and die.
Parents should contact their child’s pediatrician for any questions or concerns they have about the vaccines, as well as to inquire on whether they plan to offer the vaccine or not.
Where can babies, toddlers get COVID vaccine in Miami and the rest of Florida?
Once vaccines arrive to Florida, kids as young as six months old will be able to get the shots at pediatrician offices, hospitals, select federally funded health centers, and select retail pharmacies that are enrolled in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccines.
In Florida, 11 retail pharmacies are enrolled in the federal program, including CVS Health, Walgreens, Publix, Southeastern Grocers (Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket), Walmart (including Sam’s Club), Costco, and Kroger.
Walgreens, Walmart and Southeastern Grocers plan to administer the vaccine to kids as young as 3 at select stores in Florida. Publix on Monday said it’s not administering the COVID vaccine to kids under 5 at this time.
CVS Health, which owns traditional CVS stores, Navarro Discount Pharmacies and CVS y más, said it plans to provide the shots to kids as young as 18 months across the country through its 1,100 MinuteClinic locations. Its clinics have board-certified family nurse practitioners, physician associates and nurses on staff.
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Like with other COVID vaccines, the retailers will schedule vaccination appointments online as stores begin to receive shipment. If you’re thinking of vaccinating your child at a pharmacy, here are some of the sites to bookmark to monitor for updates on when the shots will be available:
▪ Walmart, visit walmart.com/COVIDVaccine. Plans to vaccinate kids as young as 3.
▪ Winn-Dixie, visit winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine. For Fresco y Más, visit http://www.frescoymas.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine. Plans to vaccinate kids as young as 3.
▪ CVS and Navarro Discount Pharmacies, visit CVS.com. Plans to vaccinate kids as young as 18 months at its MinuteClinic locations.
▪ Walgreens, visit walgreens.com. Plans to vaccinate kids as young as 3.
▪ If you’re looking for a nearby health center, the Florida Association of Community Health Centers has an online locator you can use to find a center by address, ZIP Code, center name or by county. Another option is to use the nationwide health center online locator that’s available through the Health Resources and Services Administration. This locator will let you search for a center anywhere in the United States. Keep in mind that you’ll have to call and ask if the center is offering the pediatric vaccine.
This article will be updated.
This story was originally published June 18, 2022 at 10:23 AM.
