Scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine for young children has become more challenging. Providers in the Twin Cities are no longer offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to four years old.

“All vaccines have an expiration date,” said Dr. Gigi Chawla, the chief of general pediatrics for Children’s Minnesota.

She explained the vaccine supply at their clinics has been expiring on a rolling basis, “based on the lot each clinic may or may not have received.”

The Pfizer vaccine is expiring before an updated version, expected to target the JN.1 or KP.2 strains, is being released. That could happen next month, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

M Health Fairview is temporarily no longer offering the Pfizer vaccine for the youngest Minnesotans but expects to distribute the updated version once it’s released, according to a spokesperson.

The HealthPartners website said, “We’re no longer supplying the 2023-2024 covid vaccine formula. We expect to get the new 2024-2025 formula in early fall. Please check back and schedule the patient’s appointment when it’s available.”

“Providers are getting to the end of their stock, lots are starting to expire, we’re starting to see the inventory start to deplete out in the field, particularly for the youngest group,” said Jessica Munroe, with MDH.

She explained in previous years, the federal government provided the vaccine. This year, however, providers had to estimate how much they would use and pay for it. The manufacturers filled the orders and set expiration dates based on estimates for how long the season would last.

“We’re running into those two things coming together – the amount of supply they thought they’d need and that is running out and then a bit of a gap between when the next product is going to be out for the year,” said Munroe.

She added, “Hopefully, as we go through these seasons, as we go forward, we’ll get to a better cadence where we hit the seasons a little bit better.”

There are Moderna vaccines available for patients six months old through 11 years old, according to Munroe.

“What we see in the lots that we are shipping out to providers that are enrolled in the public vaccine programs, the vaccines coming through those vaccines, Moderna has the later expiration dates,” said Munroe. “There won’t be a gap like Pfizer.”

Parents should consider their summer plans when deciding whether to get that vaccine or wait for the updated version.

“We do think of summertime as a generally safe time for COVID because you’re outdoors and you can be more distant and not trapped inside with your loved ones or friends or family but on the other hand, people get together a lot more often during the summer,” said Dr. Chawla. “We want kids to start the school year, start their daycare environments, as healthy and as protected as possible so the best choice is always to have the vaccine that’s available to you and get it then.”