COVID vaccine for kids under 5 in NY off to slow start. What to know

About 11,300 kids under age 5 in New York received the COVID-19 vaccines since the effort launched last week, which lagged the pace of prior campaigns to vaccinate older children and raised concerns about hurdles to accessing the shots.

Ingrid Scholze’s months-long wait to get her two kids under age 5 vaccinated against COVID-19 ended last Thursday.

But instead of getting them vaccinated near their Chappaqua home in Westchester County, they both received their initial shot at a Bronx urgent care.

Why was the roughly 20-mile drive to get shots needed?

Scholze, 36, couldn’t find doses available outside New York City, as the statewide vaccine rollout stumbled out of the gates after federal regulators on June 18 approved Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for ages 6 months through 4 years.

“It’s not the end of the world; we just had to drive a little further,” Scholze said, “but, of course, not everyone can do that.”

“It does seem that (New York) could have done some planning,” she added, referring to state and local officials failing to have many doses available in the initial days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the vaccines.

How many kids under 5 in NY received COVID vaccine?

Following the early vaccine access delays across New York, more pharmacies, pediatricians, medical providers, and other vaccine sites began offering the shots to the youngest kids late last week. And the list of vaccine sites − which is posted online at vaccines.gov − continued to grow this week.

Yet the early tally of kids under 5 getting vaccinated has underperformed prior campaigns to vaccinate older children and adults.

In New York, a total of 11,353 kids under 5 received their initial doses as of Wednesday morning, state officials said.

By contrast, about 50,000 kids ages 5 to 11 in New York received their initial dose during the first week of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for that age group in early November. That campaign, however, benefited from comparatively wider vaccine access statewide, including clinics held at some schools.

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Still, a diverse mix of factors have affected the push to vaccinate kids under 5.

The recent lull in COVID-19 cases, for example, has reduced the sense of vaccination urgency, despite the looming threat of a resurgence this fall. Many parents also remained reluctant to vaccinate kids under 5, who face less risk of severe COVID-19 cases than older people, Kaiser Family Foundation surveys show.

Vaccinating the youngest children, in general, also requires added medical expertise and resources, which has historically limited the number of medical providers and pharmacies capable of offering the shots.

Meanwhile, state health officials released guidance last Thursday detailing where parents should get their children under 5 vaccinated, including pediatricians, family physicians, local county health departments, federally qualified health centers, and some pharmacies.

“At long last, COVID-19 vaccines are here for the youngest New Yorkers down to six months of age,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement. “I encourage parents and guardians to get their littlest ones vaccinated, giving them the safe, effective protection against COVID-19 they need,” she added.

The guidance came too late for Scholze, whose vaccination urgency stemmed from a need to finalize summer travel plans for her kids’ long-awaited visit with a 92-year-old grandparent.

Finishing the two-dose Moderna vaccine series − with the second shot coming at least a month after the first − before a potential COVID-19 resurgence in the fall is also important to Scholze and other parents of the youngest kids.

That scheduling crunch only tightens for the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, which requires three doses over a span of at least 11 weeks.

“It’s not a perfect (vaccination) system and the summer is tough for kids because kids are traveling or at camp,” Scholze said, “and we want to make sure they get them.”

Meanwhile, the effort to vaccinate kids ages 5-11 has all but stalled in recent months. Only 37% of New York children in the age group have been fully vaccinated, suggesting parents are refusing, or delaying, getting the shots for their kids.

State health officials last week noted later this summer they plan to launch “a comprehensive, statewide media campaign to encourage getting vaccinated to all who are now eligible.”

Where to get COVID vaccines for kids under 5 in NY?

Health care providers throughout New York, excluding New York City, have ordered a total of 64,300 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years so far, state officials said.

In New York, people can find COVID-19 vaccines online at www.Vaccines.gov, or by calling the state hotline: 1-833-NYS-4-VAX.

State health officials noted pharmacies are only able to vaccinate children 3 years and older, citing federal regulations. Some pharmacies may also require an authorization code from a pediatrician to validate a child’s age.

State health officials recommended that all children down to 6 months of age, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated as soon as possible, citing in part CDC guidance and clinical data showing the vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness.

Authorities urged parents and guardians to contact their respective medical providers, county health officials and pharmacies for further details about getting the vaccines.

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Where is COVID vaccine for kids under 5 in NY? New details emerge