Florida Refuses to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines for Kids Under 5, but State Doctors Can

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has defended the state's decision to be the only state not to preorder COVID-19 vaccines for kids under five.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally approved a COVID-19 vaccination for children below five years old on Friday. Every state government in the U.S. has preordered the new vaccine for kids, except for Florida.

The move quickly drew flak from health experts and critics of DeSantis alike. However, while the state itself would not provide COVID-19 vaccines for their younger constituents, Floridians can still easily get them from state doctors who can order and distribute these vaccines themselves.

The five and under age group is so far the only age group not able to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to release the final authorization of the vaccine's distribution in the next few days.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Gets Both Criticism and Praise From the White House

The White House issued a statement on Friday regarding Ron DeSantis's decision not to preorder the vaccines, criticizing him for this.

However, with DeSantis allowing individual healthcare providers to order these vaccines for kids under five, the act also drew praise from the White House.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the press they are now encouraged after DeSantis allowed doctors and healthcare providers access to potentially life-saving vaccines.

She added that it was critical to allow parents everywhere to have a choice to get their children vaccinated and have a conversation about it with their doctor or healthcare provider.

But while doctors and hospitals in Florida can get it, DeSantis himself has made it clear that the state will not provide these vaccines.

CBS News reported that DeSantis affirmed in a news conference on Thursday that Florida would not be giving any to its young citizens.

Federal officials criticized the Florida governor for slowing access to these shots. But Jean-Pierre said they would try to get these COVID-19 shots to pediatricians as quickly as possible.

Ron DeSantis Defends Florida State Decision Not to Pre-Order Vaccines for Kids Below 5

According to CNN, DeSantis continues to defend his position on the vaccines for the younger ones. The Republican governor noted that the risks of vaccinating young children would outweigh the benefits.

However, studies have shown that vaccines are safe, with health experts criticizing him with Florida's previous recommendation against vaccinating healthy children aged 5 to 17.

Florida became the first state to break with the CDC when it recommended against vaccinating children and teens earlier this year.

Critics continue to slam DeSantis on the decision, with Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Kobie Christian saying that the governor was using children's safety as a political prop.

For now, shots cannot be distributed to children aged six months to five years. CDC vaccine advisers still have to vote on whether or not to recommend them to the public. The CDC is expected to vote on the matter this Saturday.

However, the vaccine advisers from the FDA have already unanimously voted on allowing it for children below five years of age. Thus, the White House is aiming to distribute the shots as early as next week.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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