ORLANDO, Fla. – The COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children as young as 6 months old.But don’t count on finding any state or county vaccine sites or vaccination events like there were before.[TRENDING: Disney Wish cruise ship arrives at Port Canaveral | Gas prices drop in Florida. How low will they go? | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]The Moderna two-shot vaccine and Pfizer three-shot vaccine for children under five got emergency authorizations by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, and recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday.The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association also recommend the shots.This time around, Florida is relying on private doctors, pharmacies and federally qualified health centers to distribute those shots to people who want them for their children.The state chose not to preorder the new vaccines ahead of approval by the FDA and the CDC. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he is against offering shots for children under 5. Florida is the only state that chose not to preorder the vaccines for children under 5.This means it may take longer for pediatricians and hospitals in the state to get those vaccines.One doctor News 6 spoke to said they’ve been waiting two and a half years for this, and vaccinating young children, who make up a large portion of the population, will go a long way toward achieving herd immunity.“This is definitely the best tool that we have to prevent these issues and try to get out of this pandemic once and for all,” Dr. Salma Elfaki said.PharmaciesMeanwhile, pharmacies enrolled in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccines can begin scheduling vaccines for children under the age of five this week.In Florida there are several major pharmacies enrolled in the program. News 6 reached out to them and these are the answers we’ve gotten so far:CVS Health — Vaccinations for children 18 months through 4 years old starting Tuesday, June 21. You can make an appointment at MinuteClinic.com.Publix — At this time Publix is not offering vaccines to children under 5.Sam’s Club — Vaccinations for children ages 3 to 5 can now be scheduled. Supplies will be limited. They can be scheduled on the Sam’s Club website.Walmart — Vaccinations for children ages 3 to 5 can now be scheduled. Supplies will be limited. They can be scheduled on the Walmart website.Feder …
How to find COVID-19 shots for young children, infants – WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
