Important information for COVID and pediatric immunizations

Posted almost 3 years ago by Tracy Sheets

Dear MCHB Grantees and Stakeholders:

Yesterday, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to determine whether the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine should be recommended for 12-15 year olds. This follows Monday’s announcement that the FDA authorized the Pfizer vaccine for administration to this age group.

The ACIP recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for persons 12-15 years of age in the U.S. population under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). COVID-19 and other vaccines may now be administered to everyone ages 12 and up without regard to timing; this includes simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and other vaccines on the same day, as well as co-administration within 14 days.

So many young people have missed out on important moments in their lives over the past year – sports seasons, in-school learning, proms and school functions, seeing grandparents, or even just hanging out with their friends. Getting vaccinated can help our nation’s children return to their normal lives.

Fortunately, preparations for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents are already underway, and include:

HHS is working with states to make sure pediatricians and family physicians are enrolled in state systems so that they can receive vaccines.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians are delivering technical assistance to providers to support vaccination delivery to adolescents.
CDC is onboarding providers who participate in the Vaccines for Children program as COVID-19 vaccinators. They have already increased the number of on-boarded providers five-fold.
All pharmacies in the federal pharmacies vaccine program that are administering Pfizer doses will begin offering vaccinations to adolescents.

With the decline in routine pediatric immunizations and well-child visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, MCHB encourages our grantees to identify ways to partner with providers and families to help children and adolescents catch up on preventive care. Well-child visits are a good venue for routine and COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as a variety of important screenings and assessments.

We encourage you to utilize every opportunity to promote COVID-19 vaccinations for people ages 12 and above, and routine immunizations for all children, adolescents, and young adults. Please think about ways that your current MCHB-funded activities can support this effort, or how you could modify your activities to help us assure receipt of recommended vaccinations across MCH populations.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your MCHB Project Officer.

Please refer to these resources for further information:

Sincerely,

Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP

Associate Administrator
Maternal and Child Health Bureau