CDC delay leaves COVID vaccine access in limbo
On Oct. 2, 2025, NPR reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not issued final guidance for administering the new COVID vaccines, preventing the federal Vaccines for Children program from shipping doses to providers and leaving both pediatric and adult access fragmented. The piece names federal entities (CDC, HHS, FDA), clinicians and parents, notes that the FDA limited this year's approvals to people at heightened risk, and describes how a reconstituted ACIP chaired under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made recent, contested recommendations that have not yet been translated into CDC guidance.
Health
Government/Regulatory
🔍 Key Facts
- As of Oct. 2, 2025 the CDC had not issued final guidelines needed for the Vaccines for Children Program to ship COVID vaccines to providers.
- About half of U.S. children are eligible to receive the vaccine through the Vaccines for Children Program once shipments begin.
- The FDA this year authorized the new shots only for people at risk for serious complications; ACIP held a contentious meeting 'last month' and recommended operational changes that have yet to be reflected in CDC policy.
📍 Contextual Background
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were reported as among federal agencies where employees were expected to be furloughed during a U.S. government shutdown.