APLES, Fla. — As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for children as young as 6 months old on Friday, Florida is the only state to opt out of pre-ordering a supply.
However, Florida doctors will be able to directly order COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 from the federal government, according to the White House.
The decision to not order vaccines by this week's deadline came from Gov. Ron DeSantis, which he defended Thursday saying Floridians are still “free to choose,” but the state will not use its resources to inoculate young children.
“Doctors can get it. Hospitals can get it. But there’s not going to be any state programs that are going to be trying to get COVID jabs to infants and toddlers and newborns," DeSantis said at a press conference in Miami. "That’s not something we think is appropriate.”
The FDA's decision followed the unanimous recommendation of its independent expert panel that the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine be allowed for children as young as 6 months. The advisory committee found the vaccines safe and effective for the youngest children and that the benefits outweigh the risks
More: FDA authorizes Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for youngest kids
Pharmacies, some supermarket chains and community centers in Florida can still get the shots by preordering directly from the federal government. Florida health department spokesperson Jeremy Redfern told the Associated Press that hospitals and other places can order them via a Florida government website and receive the doses within a week.