Pediatric COVID-19 shots will be arriving in doctors’ offices in Maine soon, possibly as early as next week, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

While COVID-19 vaccines for adults are readily available at pharmacies, doctor’s offices and other health care settings, the pediatric vaccines are distributed through the federal Vaccines for Children program, which has been experiencing delays.

Lindsay Hammes, a Maine CDC spokesperson, said states could begin ordering COVID-19 vaccines for children from the federal program this week. States receive the pediatric vaccines from the federal government and then they are sent to doctor’s offices.

“The Maine CDC is cautioning patience given an anticipated surge of ordering by states, but we’re expecting vaccines available for children in Maine perhaps as soon as next week and more broadly in the coming weeks,” Hammes said in a statement Wednesday.

Amanda Johnson, a Gorham mom to two daughters, ages 7 and 9, said it’s a “big relief” to hear the vaccine will soon be available.

“My job as a parent is to keep my kids as safe as possible and this vaccine is one way to do it,” Johnson said. “It was really frustrating to have these administrative roadblocks standing in the way of science.”

Dr. Laura Blaisdell, a Portland pediatrician and immediate past president of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she placed her order for vaccines from the state this week. The vaccine supplies are months behind schedule, she said.

“I’m thrilled to be able to provide this vaccine to whoever wants it, but it was an unnecessary and avoidable delay for this lifesaving vaccine,” Blaisdell said.

Rollout of the updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall has created confusion, as federal and state governments have issued conflicting guidance. The Trump administration’s health and human services secretary, top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced criticism from lawmakers and others for bringing false anti-vaccine viewpoints into federal health agencies.

At a meeting last month, a key advisory group — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — nearly recommended that everyone be required to obtain a prescription before getting a COVID-19 shot. The measure failed by one vote.

In recent years, states could begin ordering the vaccines shortly after the ACIP committee vote. The federal Vaccines for Children program, though, has been slow to allow states to start ordering pediatric COVID-19 vaccines, which come in different doses than the adult vaccine.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills issued an executive order on Sept. 12 designed to preserve access to the COVID-19 vaccine for all ages. Maine also joined a regional group of Northeast states to protect vaccine access.

The federal Food and Drug Administration in August had recommended the COVID-19 vaccine only for those 65 and older or those with chronic health conditions, but the U.S. CDC did not limit broad usage of the vaccine to older Americans.

The order from Mills defers to the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, which recommend COVID-19 shots for children who are 6-23 months old and those age 2 and older in higher-risk groups. The AAP also recommends that, for the pediatric population, the vaccine be given to anyone 6 months old to age 18, if a parent or guardian desires that their child be protected from COVID-19.