NEW YORK — In anticipation of final federal approval of COVID vaccines for the youngest age group thus far, New York City is launching its implementation plan to vaccinate six-month-olds in ahead.
Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will have 10 city-run vaccination sites ready by June 22 in time for CDC approval of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six months to five years. The Pfizer doses, also subject to approval, will be offered at sites outside of the city.
Clinics across the city that previously administered doses of the licensed vaccine to children five years and older are set to help preschool and toddlers get vaccinated next week.
One day before the transition of the city’s vaccination centers, his online vaccine finder will be updated to help parents find the closest location to them.
“While we are still awaiting formal federal guidance, we want parents to know that the vaccine is here, is safe, and protects against COVID-19 and its most serious complications. As a city doctor and father of a three-year-old boy, I am confident in this vaccine and can’t wait to vaccinate my son,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
The city announced its preparedness plan on the same day as the The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended injections from Moderna and Pfizer for children under the age of five. All that remains is final approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, whose advisers plan to meet on Saturday to discuss vaccines.
It has been nearly 16 months since the first vaccines to protect against COVID-19 were first approved for adults in the US. Mayor acknowledged the extraordinary amount of time parents have had to wait to get their babies vaccinated and assured that the city’s resources would be ready by next week.
“We seek to make this process as simple as possible for parents, which is why we are preparing, through city sites and partnerships with trusted pediatricians, to vaccinate and protect all our children as soon as this vaccine is ready. and shipped,” Adams said.
New York City health officials say the city remains at a high COVID alert level. That seemed poised to change this week, according to a series of tweets in which the city’s health chief, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, stated that the last peak had passed. Mayor Eric Adams’ quick follow-up, lifting the mask mandate for young children, provided further encouragement on that front. But no alert level transition has yet occurred.
Experts seem to agree that all signs are clearly pointing in the right direction for New York City as it emerges from this latest pandemic threat.
The latest wave has been largely attributed to the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1, which is said to be at least 25% more transmissible than the previous strain, Omicron BA.2. BA.2 was thought to be at least 30% more contagious than the original Omicron, which, as seen across the United States and the world last winter, was the most infectious strain of COVID to date at the time that arose.
All five counties were downgraded weeks ago from the CDC’s highest-risk category. In the latest federal update, only the Bronx, long the only holdout in the medium-risk category before joining the other boroughs in late May, is listed as low risk.
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