100,000 kids are registered for the COVID vaccine in Dallas County. The shots haven’t been approved for them yet

One hundred thousand children are on Dallas County’s waitlist for the COVID-19 vaccine even though the shots haven’t been approved for them.

Dallas County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang disclosed the number Tuesday in an interview with The Dallas Morning News.

For months, local officials, led by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, have urged everyone, regardless of eligibility, to sign up for the vaccine. The waitlist has ballooned to more than 800,000 people, meaning children account for one out of every eight registered.

Earlier in the day, Huang briefed county commissioners on steps his department was taking to ensure that children are not vaccinated until federal officials give their approval. The Pfizer vaccine is currently only for those 16 and up, while the Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines are for adults 18 and up. Clinical trials for children younger than 16 are currently underway.

At least 19 children under the approved age have been vaccinated at Dallas sites, according to NBC5. That includes an 8-year-old who was vaccinated at a site in Grand Prairie.

The city of Dallas said it vaccinated 18 children at its Potter’s House site, NBC5 also reported.

Both the Grand Prairie and Potter’s House locations vaccinate people who have registered with Dallas County. Huang told commissioners the department sifts through the waitlist removing children, saving them for when the vaccine does become available. The handful of children who received invitations were part of a chunk of registrations that were not screened properly.

“At multiple levels we’re working to make sure those invitations don’t go out,” Huang said.

Additional training for volunteers and staff checking in people at vaccine sites is also needed, Huang said.

Last week the drug company Pfizer announced its vaccine is safe and protective in kids as young as 12.