Florida surgeon general disagrees with FDA on COVID vaccines for kids under 5; state does not pre-order doses

Parents are in the home stretch with COVID-19 vaccines for babies and their youngest children after Wednesday’s FDA advisory panel meeting. But once those vaccines are approved, parents in Florida who want their kids to get inoculated may face a longer wait. That's because Florida's surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo says he does not support giving the COVID vaccine to babies and children under the age of 5 – so Florida is the only state that did not pre-order any doses.

FDA panel recommends COVID-19 vaccines for youngest children, as parents await final decision

Some parents of younger children say a vaccine for the 5 and under kids has been a long time in coming. For one Decatur, Georgia, preschooler, it could be authorized a little too late. Harper Chiang, 4, endured 13 days of fever last month after being coinfected with SARS-CoV-2 and a parainfluenza virus. Her mother still plans to get her vaccinated as soon as possible.

FDA set to decide on Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

As the FDA weighs authorizing the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, a Morehouse School of Medicine researcher hopes the vaccine will sway Americans on the fence about getting vaccinated.