The FDA restricted updated COVID-19 vaccine availability to people age 65 or older and those with certain health problems, ending universal access for ages 6 months and up. The change will make it harder for healthy children and younger adults to obtain shots before an expected winter COVID surge. The CDC is expected to issue guidance soon but has already removed recommendations for routine vaccination of healthy children and healthy pregnant women, alarming many doctors and public health experts. Federal officials cite widespread immunity and raised questions about vaccine safety and effectiveness, positions contested by most public health experts and existing scientific evidence. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the regulatory framework and noted approvals for Moderna (6 months+) and Pfizer-BioNTech (5+).
"I'm feeling a little deja vu," says Clare Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. "There's a lot of anxiety about being able to get the vaccine."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to weigh in soon with influential recommendations on who should get inoculated. But the CDC has already dropped guidelines that call for all healthy children and healthy pregnant women to routinely get vaccinated a decision many doctors and public health experts say is especially alarming.
Federal health officials say the changes are warranted because most people have so much immunity at this point. They also question the vaccines' safety and effectiveness doubts dismissed by most public health experts and contradicted by a large body of scientific evidence.
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