Governor Hochul Highlights Progress Toward Federal Authorization of COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Under Five

Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted the progress towards final federal authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children under five years old.

"This is welcome news that parents and guardians have been patiently waiting for in order to give their young children the best protection from COVID-19," Governor Hochul said. "Once approved, I encourage parents and guardians to reach out to their pediatricians about getting their young children vaccinated during the summer break. The vaccine is our best defense against COVID-19, and we will continue to make this tool widely available to New Yorkers as part of our ongoing pandemic preparedness efforts."

Today, the Food and Drug Administration's Advisory Committee approved amending the Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to expand to children ages six months through five years old. Next, the Food and Drug Administration will make a final decision on authorization of the vaccine, followed by recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Once the vaccine is recommended by the CDC Director, the New York State Department of Health will draft and issue guidance to providers.

New York State is already making preparations to boost vaccination rates among children under the age of five. Vaccine providers across the state have already placed preliminary orders for 39,000 dosages. The New York State Department of Health is working to ensure providers across the state will be able to request additional doses, as well as developing a comprehensive statewide paid media campaign to encourage vaccinations that will launch this summer.