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All U.S. states but Florida have pre-ordered COVID-19 vaccine doses for children under the age of 5, according to the Miami Herald.
The federal government had a deadline of June 14 for states to pre-order vaccine doses.
In a statement, the Florida Department of Health said it decided not to order vaccine doses for young children because it does not recommend all children receive COVID-19 vaccines.
The statement also criticized the federal government’s COVID-19 track record. “States do not need to be involved in the convoluted vaccine distribution process, especially when the federal government has a track record of developing inconsistent and unsustainable COVID-19 policies,” it read.
Yesterday, an FDA advisory committee unanimously recommended emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines in young children. Members of the committee, however, shared different opinions regarding the role of such vaccines in battling the pandemic.
The surgeon general of Florida, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has also opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Ladapo has also questioned the efficacy of vaccines in young children.