Publix Pharmacies Won't Give COVID Vaccine To Kids Under 5

LAKELAND, FL — Parents won't be able to get COVID-19 vaccines for their children under 5 at Publix pharmacies in Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The newest authorized age groups for vaccines by the nation's top health providers are 6 months to 5 years old. On June 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 in children as young as 6 months of age.

Publix did not respond to Patch's request for comment on why the chain is not carrying the child vaccines.

A Publix public affairs woman told the Times they could not say "at this time" why they are not offering the vaccines for kids 5 and younger.

Publix was not affected by Gov. Ran DeSantis' decision to forego pre-ordering vaccines for the state's youngest children because Publix is a federal pharmacy partner. That allows the chain to place orders with the federal government.

According to its website, the grocery store chain headquartered in Lakeland continues offering coronavirus vaccines for children ages 5 and older.

Publix has administered vaccines for adults since early 2021, beginning vaccine rollouts in Florida, even running out of the vaccine at times when public demand was high. Gov. Ron DeSantis scheduled multiple stops at Publix locations statewide during the first few months of Publix pharmacies administering coronavirus vaccines to adults.

Florida is the only state in the nation not to order the newly authorized vaccines directly from the federal government following the Food and Drug Administration's announcement last week that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are safe for kids in that age bracket.

"We have begun shipping vaccines to children’s hospitals and pediatricians in every state in the country except Florida,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told the Associated Press. “The governor’s failure comes at a price to parents and families of Florida.”

Jha said the administration was working to fill Florida's orders as soon as possible, but said it would be days behind other states in the vaccination program, AP reported.

The White House said when the under 5 vaccines arrive in Florida, they should be available at pediatricians' offices, medical clinics, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens.

DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have not shown the same support for the 5 and under vaccines or for the 5 to 11 years of age vaccines as they did with older age-groups.

In March, Ladapo advised against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that everyone 5 and older get the coronavirus vaccine. DeSantis repeated Ladapo's concerns first at a Plant City press conference, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Ladapo referred to a clinical trial supporting his advice against the CDC that included the results of healthy children 5 to 11 years old receiving the coronavirus vaccine.

"The evidence is based off in a clinical trial there were no cases of severe illness among children ages 5 to 11 among any placebo recipients or COVID-19 vaccine recipients. A study conducted out of New York determined that COVID-19 vaccine efficacy declined 84 percent from 68 percent to 12 percent over a span of two months for children aged 5 to 11," FDOH reported.

In January 2021, Patch reported that Publix heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli donated $300,000 to help pay for the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Fancelli provided most of the money for a $500,000 rally in front of the White House.

Tiffany Razzano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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