NYC unveils COVID vaccine rollout plan for babies, toddlers

In anticipation of the final federal approval of COVID vaccines for the youngest age group yet, New York City is putting its rollout plan in motion to get kids six months and older vaccinated.

Mayor Eric Adams and the city’s health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan has announced on Friday plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations for children younger than 5, pending federal approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this weekend.

Adams’ announcement came shortly after the Food and Drug Administration on Friday morning authorized the first COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to meet this weekend. If they recommend the vaccine, young children will be allowed to get vaccinated as early as next week.

“We’ve been waiting so long for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for our babies, and thankfully that time has arrived,” Vasan said in a statement. “While we still await formal federal guidance, we want parents to know that the vaccine is here, it is safe, and it protects against COVID-19 and its most severe complications.”

If approved, the city’s vaccination sites will open to children on June 22, according to the mayor’s office.

The Health Department says parents can use the city’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder starting June 21, to find locations citywide, which includes the city’s 10 Vaccine Hubs, where the Moderna vaccine will be available.

The Pfizer vaccine will be available to children at non city-run sites.

“We are looking to make this process as seamless as possible for parents, which is why we’re preparing, through city sites and partnerships with trusted pediatricians, to vaccinate and protect all of our children as soon as this vaccine is ready and shipped,” Adams said.

The city recommends parents contact their children’s pediatricians to see if the vaccine will be available at their offices.