The CDC is refusing to let states order COVID-19 shots for kids, effectively blocking access for the millions of children who rely on federal vaccine programs. The agency has delayed distribution of the newly available seasonal COVID-19 shots to the Vaccine for Children (VFC) program and some states, and the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is the reason.
At least 11 states and one US territory — Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming, and American Samoa — are part of a universal vaccine purchase program through the VFC. These states buy vaccines for children at no cost through a federal program that covers uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, and Indigenous children. The CDC has now delayed getting those shots to the program.
The VFC Program and Who Uses It
The VFC program serves more than half of US children, or approximately 52 percent. The program is designed to ensure that children who lack insurance coverage can still get the shots they need.
The program also covers underinsured children, Medicaid-eligible children, and Indigenous people in the US. For families living paycheck to paycheck, the program removes the financial barrier that might otherwise keep a child from getting vaccinated.
Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and chief medical officer at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, told The Guardian: “The delay in VFC means delays in these states’ ability to get vaccine for all children.”
Kennedy’s Statement and What It Means
The Department of Health and Human Services, currently run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said in a statement that “CDC has not yet finalized procurement decisions for COVID-19 vaccines through the Vaccines for Children and Section 317 programs.” The statement added that HHS is “committed to … ensuring that vaccines purchased through federally funded programs are appropriate for the populations those programs serve.”
The statement also promised that additional information about the decision will be released “soon.” That is cold comfort for families who need the shots now.
“The delay in VFC means delays in these states’ ability to get vaccine for all children.”
Kennedy’s History of Vaccine Opposition
Kennedy has a long record of opposing vaccination efforts. He has falsely called COVID-19 vaccines “the deadliest vaccine[s] ever made” and has tried to blame them for the deaths of children, despite no evidence to support the allegations.
His statements have created fear and confusion among parents. The result is that states cannot move forward with their universal purchase programs until the CDC decides whether to approve the vaccines. That means the decision rests on the judgment of a man who has spent years attacking vaccines.
This is not a technical dispute. It is a political choice to obstruct access to care.
What Happens Next
The CDC’s delay means that states cannot order the new seasonal COVID-19 shots for kids. That means children in those states may miss out on protection against the virus.
The VFC program is supposed to be a safety net. It is meant to ensure that no child goes without a shot because their family cannot afford it. The delay has gone on long enough.
The situation is urgent. The delay affects children who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, or Indigenous.
The CDC’s refusal to finalize vaccine procurements through the VFC and Section 317 programs mirrors a broader pattern of obstruction from the Kennedy-led HHS. This fits with Kennedy’s history of opposing vaccination efforts.
The paper believes the CDC should finalize its procurement decisions immediately and allow states to order the shots.
| State | Status |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Connecticut | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Hawaii | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Maine | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Massachusetts | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| New Hampshire | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| New Mexico | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Rhode Island | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Vermont | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Washington | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| Wyoming | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
| American Samoa | Part of VFC universal purchase program |
The CDC should act now. The delay has gone on long enough. Children are waiting, and they deserve better.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs state health authorities ordering shots for children and is against the CDC and its parent agency using federal authority to block those orders. This is a simple matter of power resting where it should: with states, not with a single office in Washington.
The delay affects children who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, or Indigenous, and the program was built to remove the financial barrier that might otherwise keep a child from getting vaccinated. The CDC’s refusal to finalize vaccine procurements through the VFC and Section 317 programs mirrors a broader pattern of obstruction from the Kennedy-led HHS.
That pattern includes false claims about vaccines being “the deadliest ever made,” and blaming them for children’s deaths without evidence. A man who has spent years attacking vaccines should not hold the power to decide what shots children receive.
Source material: “RFK Jr.'s CDC isn’t letting states order COVID-19 shots for kids, blocking access,” Ars Technica.
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