Pediatricians await pending approval of COVID vaccines for children under age 5

Brighton, N.Y. - The FDA has deemed Pfizer and Moderna vaccines safe and effective for infants and toddlers. However, the official sign-off by the CDC is still needed.

In meetings this week, the FDA has set the stage for the youngest age group, ages six months to 5 years, to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pediatricians are awaiting the approval to start rolling out the vaccine to the last eligible group. For some doctors, they may need to make adjustments to meet demand.

Dr. Edward Lewis of Lewis Pediatrics said the pending approval will add to an already busy summer for his office.

As doctors wait on vaccine shipments, Dr. Lewis said it may result in longer hours for staff to meet patients needs.

"We’re going to have to figure out how we’re going to fit it into an already busy schedule," said Dr. Lewis. "I think larger groups have more staff and have some flexibility there. I know in the past, a lot of pediatricians have even sought to get part-time help to come in and help with immunizations."

For children ages 5 to 11, Lewis Pediatrics opened clinics on weekends and offered up to roughly 50 doses at a time.

This time around, the office is prepared to do the same. However, Dr. Lewis said demand may not be as high.

"We haven’t gotten a lot of calls. At well visits, we have parents asking," said Dr. Lewis. "But, I think we’re looking for 30 percent of our eligible patients wanting the vaccine."

Rochester Clinical Research has conducted Pfizer trials for children as young as six months old in a three-dose series.

Lead investigator Dr. Matthew Davis said trials have been successful, and once approved, will give families with younger children a sense of relief.

"There had been a time when people ran into barriers with travel and moving around because they had unvaccinated small children," said Dr. Davis. "Presumably, the FDA will grant this approval in the very near future and that will remove that roadblock to people to say, ‘Look, everyone is now vaccinated in the family to travel.’"

While COVID-19 has weakened across the region, doctors say they are seeing a continued uptick in cases of RSV, croup, and the flu.

Parents are asked to contact their providers to learn more about the vaccine rollout if and when it is approved.