When Will Kids Under 5 Be Eligible For COVID Vaccines In NJ?

NEW JERSEY — Children 5 to 11 years olds are the latest to join the group of the population eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in early November, but kids under 5 in New Jersey may possibly be able to get their first shot in the first half of 2022 following Pfizer's timeline, according to Forbes.

If the company follows its deadlines, a vaccine for 2- to 5-year-olds could be approved in the first half of 2022 and a vaccine for toddlers between 6 months and 2 years could be available in the second half of 2022.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they expect to submit an application for the use of the COVID-19 vaccine under 5-year-olds in the first half of 2022, according to Pix 11.

The company is studying a possible third dose for children under 5. Pfizer said that testing has shown that their immune response with two small doses was not as high as desired, but found no safety concerns so far.

"The decision to evaluate a third dose of 3 µg for children 6 months to under 5 years of age reflects the companies’ commitment to carefully select the right dose to maximize the risk-benefit profile," the company said in a statement.

The company also announced it is planning to produce a third shot for children 5 to 12 years old and a different one for adolescents aged 12 to 17.

The New Jersey Department of Health is currently urging everyone ages 5 and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible when the vaccine for this group became available.

Gov. Phil Murphy also encouraged parents to vaccinate their kids, indicating that vaccines may help lift school mask mandates sooner rather than later.

"The executive order for mask mandating in schools, just to put a date out there — and I'm not suggesting this is the date folks should focus on, but another data point — is January 11 that expires," said Murphy. "So we would have to volitionally re-up that. But I would hope this is the beginning of a process — I can't tell you exactly when — that we'll be able to get to that place sooner than later."

Currently, a third dose of the vaccine or a booster shot is available for people 18 and over. Those aged 16 and 17 years old can get a booster and are eligible for a Pfizer booster only.

Boosters or third doses should be administered a certain number of weeks after the last shot, depending on the person's age and health condition and what vaccine they took in the past. More information can be found here.

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