New fall COVID-19 guidance includes new restrictions

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the next round of COVID boosters for the fall, further limiting who can receive the shot. The new guidance now states that only high-risk groups should routinely receive the updated vaccine.

Those approved are adults 65 and older, and children with at least one underlying condition.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated the move on X, calling it “science, safety and common sense.” In the post, he declared the days of “Biden’s general mandate” over.

Doctors can still prescribe the vaccine to others outside those groups, but they won’t be able to simply walk into a pharmacy and get it. It’s unclear whether insurance will cover the cost for anyone not recommended.

Kennedy also announced that the emergency use authorizations have been rescinded.

Response to the new guidelines

The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics described the tighter guidelines as “deeply troubling.”

“As we enter respiratory virus season, any barrier to COVID-19 vaccination creates a dangerous vulnerability for children and their families. Respiratory illnesses can be especially risky for infants and toddlers, whose airways and lungs are small and still developing,” Dr. Susan Kressly said.

CDC vaccine panel approval

The next step involves a CDC vaccine panel considering the evidence before making final recommendations on who should receive the shot. 

The panel has all new members after Kennedy fired the previous 17 members in June. The new members, all of whom are doctors or Ph.D. holders, include several individuals with controversial views on COVID-19 vaccines