White House issues planning guide for vaccinating children under age 5  

The White House today released a preliminary planning guide to inform jurisdictional, federal partner and pharmacy planning to distribute the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months through 4 should the Food and Drug Administration authorize the vaccine for emergency use in this age group. According to the guide, pharmacies may have limited ability to vaccinate these younger children, so encouraging Vaccines for Children providers to enroll as COVID-19 vaccine providers will be critical to ensuring access to the vaccine. States will determine what locations receive the vaccine, as they have for previously authorized groups. The federal government and manufacturer plan to provide additional training to prepare participating providers and locations. The administration expects to update the guide as more information or COVID-19 vaccines for this age group become available.