ILLINOIS (WAND) - Illinois leaders are preparing to make COVID-19 vaccines available to children younger than five years old as Pfizer pushes for federal regulators to allow it.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois is getting ready to potentially vaccinate kids who are six months through four years old. Pfizer-BioNTech has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to change its emergency use authorization to allow kids younger than five to receive its COVID-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer request is for the first two doses of a planned three-dose primary series. It still must be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pfizer's vaccine was previously allowed for ages five years and older. The vaccine for kids in the sixth months to four years range is a small dose and a tenth of a dose for people 12 years and older.
“We are looking forward to the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine for our youngest population once it is reviewed by CDC,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We have many tools to slow and control the spread of COVID-19, the best of all being vaccine. As we move towards coexisting with COVID-19, it is important that we are able to offer as much protection as possible from COVID-19-related hospitalizations for all ages.”
Once the state has more information from the CDC, it plans to do joint webinars with the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics about vaccinations for kids in the sixth months to four years age range.
The state said IDPH has worked in the past year to enroll as many COVID-19 vaccine providers as possible, including pediatricians and those who provide care to kids. More than 2,280 providers who serve pediatric populations have enrolled to provide COVID-19 vaccines.
