Publix not offering COVID vaccines to children under 5

LAKELAND, Fla. - While children age six months to 5 years old are now approved to receive COVID-19 vaccines, parents will not be able to get their kids vaccinated at one major pharmacy.

Publix says its pharmacies will not administer vaccines to children under the age of 5 at this time.

A spokesperson for the Lakeland-based supermarket chain confirmed the news in a statement to FOX 13 Wednesday afternoon.

The state of Florida did not pre-order vaccines from the federal government, so for now county health departments won’t offer shot for youngest. But there are other places, like federally qualified health centers, private health care providers and other pharmacies that parents can go to for their children.

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CVS confirmed that its locations will provide the shots to children over the age of 18 months once supply is received.

Walgreens, meanwhile, told FOX 13 its pharmacists would inoculate children ages 3 and older. The company said in a statement:

Walgreens continues to follow guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the administration of COVID-19 vaccines, and we look forward to receiving additional details regarding the availability of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months to 5 years and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6 months to 4 years. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) expanded the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act authorizing licensed pharmacists to administer recommended vaccinations to children ages 3 and older. In that time, Walgreens has extensive experience administering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible populations and is the largest pediatric vaccine provider among retail pharmacies.   

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 13 for updates.