FDA advisers approve COVID-19 shots for kids under 5

COVID-19 vaccine shots could be going into the arms of Long Island children under 5 as early as next week after FDA advisers Wednesday approved the Pfizer and Moderna shots for the last age group not yet eligible.

Medical experts on Long Island said the move was a welcome development for thousands of families who have spent more than two years waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine for their young children.

“I think there are a lot of families out there who have been living in fear of their kids getting sick from this virus that’s caused a lot of harm,” said Dr. Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.

“I’m very excited for my patients to start getting it," he said. "I think it is going to be a big sigh of relief for a lot of families who have been waiting a long time for it. I think the vaccine for these young kids has been long overdue.”

The vaccines must still be approved by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as an advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the CDC director, all expected within days.

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha has said the long-awaited vaccinations could begin as early as Tuesday.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the approvals "welcome news that parents and guardians have been patiently waiting for," and urged them to get their young children vaccinated this summer.

She said the state is gearing up to distribute the vaccines, and providers across the state have already pre-ordered 39,000 doses.

The FDA outside experts voted unanimously that the benefits of Moderna’s and Pfizer’s shots outweigh any risks for children under 5 — roughly 19 million youngsters in the United States.

One panel member, Dr. Jay Portnoy, of Children’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, said: “This is a long-awaited vaccine. There are so many parents who are absolutely desperate to get this vaccine and I think we owe it to them to give them a choice to have the vaccine if they want to.”

Long Beach resident Wendy Young, the mother of a three-year-old, said she was elated.

“I’m so happy and relieved,” she said. “It’s just been hard to figure out where we can go … thinking through each decision we make, around where it is safe to bring our child.”

She said she plans to get her daughter vaccinated as soon as the shots are available.

On Long Island that may be as early as next Wednesday, said Dr. Matthew Harris, medical director of Northwell’s vaccine program. Handel estimated it could be anywhere from one to two weeks before the vaccines are widely available on Long Island.

Harris said parents should contact their pediatrician to discuss “not whether to get vaccinated, but when.” If the pediatrician is not giving the shots, he or she may refer parents to another doctor — or they can go to a local pharmacy, he said.

Handel said, “The best place is the place you can get it quickest.”

Dr. Peter Marks, FDA’s vaccine chief, opened Wednesday’s meeting with data showing a “quite troubling surge’’ in young children’s hospitalizations during the omicron wave, and noted 442 children under 4 have died during the pandemic. That’s far fewer than adult deaths, but should not be dismissed in considering the need for vaccinating the youngest children he said.

“Each child that’s lost essentially fractures a family,’’ Marks said.

Some parents have complained the approvals took too long, leaving their young children vulnerable to the virus. Others say they are hesitant to give their child the shots.