Who Gets the COVID Shot Now?

The government has changed its mind about who should get the COVID-19 vaccine. Now, only seniors and those with health issues will get the shot easily. This is a big shift from before, when almost everyone could get a vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has new rules. They want more tests done on healthier people before they can get the vaccine. This means that some people might not be able to get the shot this fall. The FDA's top vaccine official says this is a fair way to handle things. He thinks it lets high-risk groups keep getting vaccinated while they figure out if healthier people still need the shot. The FDA is asking companies to do big tests on people aged 50 to 64. They want to see if the vaccine really helps prevent serious illness, hospitalization, or death. This could change how vaccines are approved in the future, especially if the virus changes a lot. Some people are worried about these changes. A doctor from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia thinks this could make vaccines harder to get. He wonders who will decide if someone is high-risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics is also concerned. They say this could take away choices from families who want to protect their kids from COVID-19. The FDA's new approach is part of a bigger look at COVID shots. The health secretary has been questioning how and when these shots should be used. Just last week, the FDA approved a new COVID vaccine, but with lots of rules on who can get it. This is all happening as the FDA gets ready for a big meeting with outside experts. For years, health officials have said to expect a new COVID shot every year, like the flu shot. But the FDA's new rules might change that. They say the old way of approving vaccines might not work anymore. Instead, they want to look at each group of people separately, just like some European countries do. The FDA's announcement has caused some confusion. Usually, they release new rules in a draft form and let the public comment first. But this time, they published the rules in a medical journal. Some experts think this might not follow the usual rules. The FDA's new approach has sparked a debate. Some experts think there are good reasons to question if everyone still needs a yearly COVID shot. Others think the vaccine should be recommended only for people at higher risk. In June, a group of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will talk about which vaccines should be recommended to which groups. The FDA's announcement seems to step on their toes. But studies have shown that booster shots do help protect against mild to moderate illness, even in healthy people.