27,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 arriving soon in Hawaiʻi

The long awaited COVID-19 vaccines for keiki under age 5 will be available on all Hawaiian islands in the coming week, according to the Hawai‘i Department of Health.

And as soon as the expected delivery of 27,500 doses of the vaccine arrive, the enrolled COVID-19 vaccination providers with the Department of Health can immediately begin administering them.

The vaccines will be distributed to hospitals, pediatricians’ offices and clinics. Pharmacies and community health centers will receive additional vaccine shipments directly from the manufacturers.

Vaccination locations in Hawaiʻi will be listed on the vaccine page at hawaiicovid19.com once vaccines arrive.

“Vaccines continue to offer our best protection against COVID-19 and now keiki as young as six-months old can benefit from that same protection,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.  

Parents with questions about COVID-19 vaccines are encouraged to ask their healthcare providers for guidance.

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended use of the vaccines from both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The US Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for these keiki vaccines earlier in the week. The CDC said in a news release that all children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.

“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against COVID-19,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., said. “We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can. I encourage parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated.”

This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children in the United States.

The new Pfizer vaccine is specially made for children six-months through four years of age and will be administered in a three-shot series. There should be three weeks between the first and second shots. The third shot is to be given at least two months after the second shot. Each dose is one-tenth the dose of the Pfizer vaccine given to adults.

The new Moderna vaccine is for children six-months through five years of age and will be administered in a two-shot series. The second shot is to be given at least four weeks after the first shot. Each dose is a quarter of the Moderna dose given to adults.