\n The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on a recommendation that patients must consult a health care provider to get a Covid-19 vaccine, although they don\u2019t necessarily need a prescription.\n <\/p>\n
\n The recommendations were made by a new panel of vaccine advisers chosen by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They shifted away from a broader push in past years for most people to get a Covid-19 vaccine. With CDC\u2019s OK, the recommendations are final and US vaccine schedules will be updated, HHS said on Monday.\n <\/p>\n
\n The new recommendations mean that people ages 6 months and older can get Covid-19 vaccines after shared clinical decision making with a qualified health care provider, which keeps the shots available to people, but also creates barriers to access.\n <\/p>\n
\n The signoff is coming later than usual for the fall respiratory virus season. With the recommendation, the government can finally distribute Covid-19 vaccines through its Vaccines for Children program which provides free inoculations to about half of US children.\n <\/p>\n
\n The CDC\u2019s independent vaccine advisers, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, voted unanimously<\/a> last month that people who want a Covid-19 vaccine should consult with a health care provider, a process called shared clinical decision-making. However, they narrowly voted down a recommendation that a prescription should be required to get the shot.\n <\/p>\n \n In August, the US Food and Drug Administration moved to limit approval of Covid-19 vaccines to adults 65 and older as well as younger people who are at higher risk of severe illness because of other health conditions.\n <\/p>\n