By late June, Bhutan expects the US food and drug administration (FDA) to approve vaccines for children under the age of five

According to international sources, 19 vaccines for children under the age of five will begin as early as June 21. After specialists analyse the data on June 15, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is likely to make a decision on Pfizer and Moderna injections for children under the age of five.

Following the FDA's ruling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would release recommendations enabling vaccines to commence.

At a White House Press Briefing on June 9, 2022, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID response coordinator, stated that they will supply doses as soon as possible after the FDA approves the shots in order to meet all demands and make it easy for providers and parents to get their children vaccinated.

According to Pfizer, their three-dose vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years was 80 percent effective in avoiding Omicron-related disease in children. The dose is three micrograms, or one-tenth of what an adult would receive.

COVID-19, according to the CDC, can cause serious disease in children. Youngsters with underlying medical problems are at a higher risk of serious illness, but even healthy children can get sick.

Bhutan's sole unvaccinated population is children under the age of five. Because these youngsters are not vaccinated, the virus can continue to spread and infect those who are more vulnerable, such as the elderly. Vaccination of children under the age of five, according to international experts, is critical.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in Bhutan, 3,419 infants under the age of five have been infected with COVID-19, with one fatality (one month 22 days old) on March 17, 2022, in Phuentsholing hospital owing to cardiac issues.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has compiled information on how many children under the age of five will receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It will be done in the same way that adult, teen, and 5- to 11-year-old children have been immunised.

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously contacted the vaccine suppliers. Many parents will be able to breathe better as a result of this vaccine, which will lead to even more opening up.