Primary Care and COVID-19 Vaccines

At the time of this writing, the processes of approving COVID-19 booster shots for eligible populations and initial doses for children between the ages of 5 and 11 have moved forward.
 
In anticipation of the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11, the White House released on Oct. 20 a plan to ensure a timely and equitable distribution of the child doses. Primary care will play a substantial role in the distribution from the onset, with the White House planning to engage over 25,000 pediatric and primary care practices in vaccine administration. This includes providing appropriate training and working with states to increase the number of practices enrolled to administer the vaccine.
 
The American Academy of Pediatrics and others in primary care are eager to play a greater role in vaccine administration. This is coming at a time when vaccine hesitancy continues and as primary care is seen as the most trusted source of COVID-19 information. Now the federal government needs to compensate primary care clinicians for vaccine counseling, along with continued support for vaccine administration.