New vaccine policy limits access to COVID shots

HFB1217

Not Politics for Medical Treatment Information Only

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Tuesday it will limit approval for seasonal COVID-19 shots to seniors and others at high risk pending more data on everyone else — raising questions about whether some people who want a vaccine this fall will be able to get one.

https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-fda-kennedy-covid-shots-rfk-trump-bb4de15b6ff955d6cd0b406aaec3cdc5?user_email=fa95727a3ab054fe62989408256dc7cfa5566382052bee19faee3d95d6cb0afd&utm_medium=Afternoon_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru_AP&utm_campaign=AfternoonWire_May20_2025&utm_term=Afternoon%20Wire

Sparkchaser

HFB1217
As a senior I’m okay but this still sounds lie a stupid idea.

vaxvms

In an effort as an age-advanced-individual to CMA I got/updated on all available vaccines, including COVID and MMR, between November and January. We’ll have to wait and see what happens to vaccine availability in the future.

HooRU

Wow. Dumb.

HooRU

Wonder what the reasoning is?

vaxvms

HooRU This might be a political response and removed.
Could a brain worm be the reason?

px_eliezer_

vaxvms We’ll have to wait and see what happens to vaccine availability in the future.

Even if vaccines are available, insurance companies (including Medicare) won’t PAY for them if not meeting the specific guidelines.

So as the preacher said in “Blazing Saddles”:
Son, you’re on your own.

It’s not totally illogical, and many other countries have downshifted on Covid vaccines.

One hopes though that it’s based on science, not on spite.

The new FDA chief shunting aside the CDC’s well-respected Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was unsettling.

Canada’s equivalent, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), continues to do good work, and it will be instructive to see what they come up with.

telcodad

As I’m over 65, I’m planning on getting the Novavax vaccine/booster once it becomes available.

Currently, the dominant COVID variant nationwide is “LP.8.1,” with 70% of cases, followed by “XFC,” with 9% of cases, and “XEC,” with 6% of cases: https://www.nebraskamed.com/COVID/what-covid-19-variants-are-going-around

The Novavax 2024-2025 Formula corresponds to the older Omicron variant JN.1 strain: https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/coronavirus-covid-19-cber-regulated-biologics/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-adjuvanted

Don’t know if there’s a 2025-2026 Formula being developed right now, though.

px_eliezer_

telcodad The Novavax 2024-2025 Formula corresponds to the older Omicron variant JN.1 strain

Kennedy slammed the Novavax vaccine a few weeks ago, due to the single antigen status.
But people who actually KNOW what they are doing, said that he’s dead wrong.

px_eliezer_

telcodad Don’t know if there’s a 2025-2026 Formula being developed right now, though.

Yes.

Novavax expects to be ready for the commercial delivery of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine formula in the U.S. this fall in partnership with Sanofi, pending strain recommendation at the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting on May 22, 2025.

https://ir.novavax.com/press-releases/2025-05-19-U-S-FDA-Approves-BLA-for-Novavaxs-COVID-19-Vaccine

egeezer

px_eliezer_ Kennedy slammed the Novavax vaccine a few weeks ago, due to the single antigen status.

Perhaps Mr. Kennedy should release the large, lengthy peer reviewed study that supports his claims. Such studies should be mandatory for any of his claims before his recommendations and policies are adopted.

digitalfutur

HFB1217 The new policy is actually quite similar to the current (2025) recommendations in Canada and Europe, though the underlying conditions for those two are more specifically mentioned, and in Canada also include certain disadvantaged groups. Given the current risks and previous exposures, it isn’t necessary nor desirable for universal adult vaccine recommendation for Covid. It was at one point, but that point has long passed, as reflected in the science.

HooRU

Well, if I wasn’t allowed to get mine, I’d be writing angry letters to whoever stopped me.

I have no doubt that the two times I got Covid, the vaccines saved my life.

Somewhat-Reticent

HooRU You may be allowed, just not assisted by insurance.

egeezer

digitalfutur it isn’t necessary nor desirable for universal adult vaccine recommendation for Covid

There are no large scale peer reviewed studies that make that conclusion.

real_aurgathor

digitalfutur

I’m not sure about the current Canadian recommendations so I won’t comment on those; however, I think there was more than enough evidence during the pandemic to indicate the usefulness of the COVID vaccines, regardless of the age group. That’s even more true given some recent discoveries about the relationships between various latent effects of earlier viral infections. And there is also long COVID. It is true that older people in general benefited much more than younger folks; however, administratively disallowing those few who would want to get vaccinated is beyond reckless, especially since the vaccine uptake is already way down.

real_aurgathor

HooRU

HooRU I have no doubt that the two times I got Covid, the vaccines saved my life.

I don’t think I ever had covid, and I have no doubt that the 4 or 5 covid shots had a lot to do with that.

real_aurgathor

HooRU Wonder what the reasoning is?

Pandering to antivaxxers….

Astyanax

egeezer digitalfutur it isn’t necessary nor desirable for universal adult vaccine recommendation for Covid

There are no large scale peer reviewed studies that make that conclusion.

Don’t forget your annual smallpox vaccine booster then too. 🙄

egeezer

See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/i-was-vaccinated-against/

A study of smallpox cases imported into nonendemic countries found that mortality was 52 percent among the unvaccinated, 11 percent among those vaccinated more than 20 years earlier and 1.4 percent of those vaccinated within 10 years. Therefore, vaccination 40 years ago most likely does not confer protection against smallpox infection, but it may help to prevent a fatal outcome.

The article is from 2003 but gives an idea of the efficacy of the vaccine. Smallpox has been eradicated but the virus is still stored in labs in the U.S. - and very possibly other countries. Bottom line, if the virus were to be introduced by an adversary or accident, I’d get a booster unless I was among those who would be excluded by objective science due to medical conditions.

Edit - I remember my smallpox vaccination and the scar on my upper arm that was visible for decades. Our traveling school nurse went around all of the county schools to administer it to first graders. I also remember Mom exclaiming “don’t pick at that blister, it’ll fall off by itself!” Us kids kept track to see who would lose their scab first and show off their scar.