Millions of COVID-19 shots ordered for youngest

Millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses have been ordered for small children in anticipation of possible federal authorization next week, White House officials say.

The government allowed pharmacies and states to start placing orders last week, with 5 million doses initially available - half of them shots made by Pfizer and the other half the vaccine produced by Moderna.

As of this week, about 1.45 million of the 2.5 million Pfizer doses have been ordered, and about 850,000 Moderna shots have been ordered. Up to about 20 million U.S. children under 5 would become eligible for vaccination if the government authorizes one or both shots.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States said “That is why as soon as the FDA authorizes and the CDC recommends a pediatric vaccine for kids under five, we are going to launch a national public education campaign to ensure parents and families have all the information they need to make the best choices for their children."

The FDA advisory committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday to review data from the two companies.

A CDC advisory committee is scheduled for next Friday and Saturday, with a CDC decision expected soon after. If all those entities give their OKs, vaccinations should begin in earnest as early as June 21.