Children under 5 years old are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Florida missed the initial deadline to preorder those, but providers such as family doctors and retail pharmacies ordered them directly from the federal government.
They arrived much earlier than anticipated, according to the Miami Herald, and kids in that age group are already receiving doses.
But demand is still low, and some doctors say a bulk of those vaccines is going to waste, the Herald reports. Each vaccine vial contains 10 doses, and once a vial is opened, it has to be used within 12 hours.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the vaccine for kids, but Florida’s health department is not recommending it for healthy children.
Dr. Brandon Chatani, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Holtz Children's Hospital at the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Medical Center, joined WLRN's Sundial to discuss what parents and caregivers should know about the COVID vaccines for kids and how to talk to children about it.
Click on the Listen button above to hear the conversation.
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