Millions of dollars in cuts to vaccine technology. Canceled research. Mass resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overhauled health councils and ever-changing guidelines that result in sparring between government officials and professional medical agencies.
Keeping up with public health and, specifically, who can get a COVID-19 vaccine, has become more of a challenge since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office earlier this year. Kennedy ruffled feathers in health communities in June when he upended the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), replacing all 17 original members with new picks, some with a history of anti-vaccine advocacy. The committee provides guidance on vaccine use to the CDC.
The disruption to the usual process for approving the updated fall vaccine has resulted in a crunch where people looking for their seasonal shots suddenly are unsure if they can get them. And, with cases on the rise, new Food and Drug Administration guidance handed down in late August still hasn't provided the concrete answers many were looking for.
Here's what we know so far about your ability to access a COVID-19 vaccine this season.
