Public health officials in other countries largely chose the risk-based approach instead, aligning with WHO recommendations.
The CDC and that advisory committee have not yet weighed in on the FDA’s latest decision, and that committee is not scheduled to meet until mid-September. In June, Kennedy purged the members of the CDC advisory panel, opting to handpick replacements.
The CDC also recently ended its blanket recommendation that pregnant women get coronavirus shots. While many countries continue to offer coronavirus vaccines for pregnant women, Britain’s Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunization no longer recommends it, saying there is little evidence that it is cost effective.
Most Americans rely on insurance companies to pay for vaccines and pharmacies to administer them, according to CDC data. But the move from the current policy of universal recommendation to more targeted guidance may result in a patchwork of rules, differing from state to state, and varying degrees of access. At CVS, for instance, pending guidance from the CDC, coronavirus vaccines are available without prescriptions in some states but only with prescriptions in others. Doctors and hospitals, unlike pharmacies, are generally allowed to administer vaccines as they deem necessary.
Canada, Mexico and many European countries offer public health care benefits. Eligible citizens of both countries — as well as noncitizens in Mexico and in certain Canadian provinces, such as Ontario — can receive a free coronavirus vaccine.
Tina Stow, spokeswoman for AHIP, a trade association for American insurance companies, wrote in a statement that the group was closely monitoring the latest recommendations. “Individual health plans and plan sponsors will be prepared to make coverage decisions informed by science, the latest medical evidence and data,” Stow said.