""It's a horrible mess. With these new restricted eligibility criteria from the [FDA], getting a COVID vaccine has now become a chaotic, constantly shifting scavenger hunt that depends on what state you're in," Dr. Oni Blackstock, a primary care physician and executive director of Health Justice, a racial and health equity consultancy, told HuffPost via email. Some states, like New York, have granted residents permission to get their shot, no matter if they meet the FDA's eligibility requirements or not."
"Children, across the board, already have low COVID vaccine uptake, Patel added. "And every single year we see these children under 2 get admitted to the hospital, either to the ICU... or to the regular inpatient units, requiring oxygen [or] noninvasive forms of breathing support. And in severe cases, they need to be on a ventilator," Patel explained. Children 6 months and older with an underlying condition are eligible for the Moderna vaccine, but not the Pfizer or Novavax versions."
Infections are rising in multiple parts of the country while many people who could have been vaccinated last year still lack access. Restricted FDA eligibility criteria have produced a patchwork of state rules that affect vaccine availability. Some states allow vaccination regardless of FDA criteria, others require prescriptions, and some pharmacies are not offering shots. Children have low vaccine uptake and infants under two are hospitalized yearly, sometimes needing oxygen or ventilation. Only children six months and older with underlying conditions are eligible for Moderna; healthy children are not included in current eligibility. Vaccination reduces severe disease, hospitalization, and death, and hesitancy could increase long COVID cases.
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