Labor Day has passed, kids are back in school, and the pumpkin spice has arrived. That means respiratory virus season is coming, and with it, the annual push for flu and COVID-19 shots.
This year, that push arrives under unusual circumstances. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a fervent anti-vaccine activist, now runs the country’s top health office. One of his first acts was to cancel a flu shot ad campaign during a deadly flu season. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, which normally sets recommendations, is not functioning. A federal judge ruled in March that Kennedy’s appointees to that panel were illegally appointed.
Yet the fall vaccine rollout is expected to be smooth, possibly even unremarkable.
The FDA has approved the new shots
The Food and Drug Administration has signed off on updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines for this season. Those shots have already started arriving at pharmacies. If your pharmacy has been texting you reminders, that is why.
The approvals mean the basic machinery of the fall vaccine season is working.
The situation is not entirely normal, though. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, known formally as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, is effectively sidelined. That panel normally decides which vaccines are recommended and ensures insurance covers them. A federal judge ruled in March that the anti-vaccine allies Kennedy installed on the panel were illegally appointed and unfit to serve. All their changes to vaccine policy have been temporarily voided.
What the CDC mess means for your shots
The committee’s dysfunction could have created chaos. Insurance coverage for vaccines often depends on the committee’s recommendations.
That question has an answer for now. Major insurance plans have agreed to continue covering vaccines previously recommended by the CDC’s advisory panel, including the seasonal flu and COVID-19 shots, at no charge. The agreement runs at least through the end of 2027.
That means most people with insurance should be able to get the shots without a copay, just as in past years.
Access is not completely settled. There are still some snags. State and local health officials are expecting a generally normal rollout and are keeping an eye on vaccination rates.
Where Kennedy fits in
Kennedy has not been quiet since taking office. Last year, he obliterated an ad campaign for flu shots in the middle of a particularly deadly flu season.
More recently, Kennedy spent last week trying to obscure the number of babies who died from measles so far this year. The number is two, including a newborn.
Those actions have not stopped the current rollout. The result is that the practical experience of getting a vaccine this fall should look a lot like last year’s.
The shots are already here
The shots are available now, and pharmacies already have them in stock.
The updated shots are the same kind of annual updates that have rolled out in previous years.
What about access
The insurance agreement covers people with major insurance plans. The source notes there are still some snags for access, though it does not specify exactly where those snags are.
The message from officials is that they are watching the rollout closely and working to keep vaccination rates from slipping.
The bottom line on this year’s rollout
The fall vaccine season is starting under a health secretary who has spent his tenure fighting vaccine policy. The CDC’s advisory committee is in legal limbo. A judge has voided its recent changes. None of that has stopped the shots from reaching pharmacies.
The FDA approvals happened. The insurers kept coverage in place. The rollout is proceeding. It may be a quieter season than the headlines suggested, at least for now.
The real test will come later, when the season peaks and officials see whether people actually got the shots. The infrastructure is holding. Whether the public trusts it is another question.
Key facts box
- Flu and COVID-19 shots: FDA-approved for this season
- Shots: already arriving at pharmacies
- Insurance coverage: major plans cover previously recommended vaccines at no charge
- Coverage agreement: runs through at least the end of 2027
- CDC vaccine advisory committee: nonfunctioning; judge temporarily voided its changes in March
- Measles deaths this year: two babies, including a newborn
Flu vs. COVID-19 shots this season
| Flu shot | COVID-19 shot | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | FDA-approved, updated | FDA-approved, updated |
| Availability | At pharmacies now | At pharmacies now |
| Cost with insurance | No charge | No charge |
| Coverage agreement | Through end of 2027 | Through end of 2027 |
The takeaway is straightforward. The shots are here, they are covered for most people, and the rollout is on track. The politics around vaccines have not stopped the process, whatever the headlines suggest.
The infrastructure is ready.
Source: arstechnica.com
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.