Tweet
These are the conditions that make you eligible for an updated Covid-19 vaccine (That's a link to a CNN piece. Here's the Yahoo iteration of the same piece.)
The short version seems to be that the Government isn't necessarily limiting or forbidding the so-called 'vaccines.' It appears, however, that's it's no longer 'automatically available' and that individuals are going to have to make an 'informed' choice, typically in conjunction with a medical professional.
...“FDA has now issued marketing authorization for those at higher risk: Moderna (6+ months), Pfizer (5+), and Novavax (12+). These vaccines are available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors,” US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a post on X this week.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the conditions that put someone at a higher risk of severe Covid-19 include:
Most of these conditions can affect the immune system in such a significant way that they would inhibit the body’s ability to fight off a Covid-19 infection, increasing the risk of that infection causing severe illness or death.
These underlying conditions will make an estimated 100 million to 200 million people in the US eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine under the new framework, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Vinay Prasad, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, wrote in an editorial in May in the New England Journal of Medicine...
Most Covid-19 vaccinations in the US have happened at pharmacies. During the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, an estimated 71.5% of shots were given in pharmacies or drug stores, according to CDC data, followed by an estimated 9.2% at clinics or health centers...
In May, Kennedy announced major changes to Covid-19 recommendations for children and pregnant women. In updated recommendations, children are able to get the vaccines after consulting with a health care provider, what’s known as shared decision-making.
Then, emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines were rescinded, which means Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, is no longer authorized for children younger than 5. Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine is approved for children as young as 6 months, but only if they have an underlying condition that puts them at higher risk. Children who are 12 and older and have at least one underlying condition that puts them at severe risk of severe disease are eligible for Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, the only protein-based, non-mRNA vaccine available in the US.
The American Academy of Pediatrics broke with the CDC to make a broader recommendation for the Covid-19 vaccine. It says that all children ages 6 months through 23 months should receive a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have known allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients. It also recommends a single dose of the vaccine for children ages 2 through 18 years if they are at high risk of Covid-19, residents of long-term care facilities, have never been vaccinated against Covid-19 or live in a household with people who are high-risk for Covid-19. It also says the vaccine should be available for this age group even if they are not in these risk groups...
However, pregnancy or recent pregnancy remain on the list of conditions that put someone at higher risk for severe Covid-19, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently reaffirmed support for Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy...
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a post on X that “100% of adults in this country can still get the vaccine if they choose. We are not limiting availability to anyone.”
Health care providers can provide Covid-19 vaccines “off-label” for those who do not meet the new eligibility criteria based on their age or overall health, Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement Wednesday. A medical product is “off-label” when it’s used outside of the terms for which the FDA has explicitly approved it...
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the conditions that put someone at a higher risk of severe Covid-19 include:
- Asthma
- Blood cancers
- Cerebrovascular diseases
- Chronic kidney disease
- Some chronic lung diseases
- Some chronic liver diseases
- Cystic fibrosis
- Type 1 and 2 diabetes
- Gestational diabetes
- Disabilities, including Down syndrome
- Heart conditions
- HIV
- Mood disorders, including depression and schizophrenia
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- Current or recent pregnancy
- Primary immunodeficiencies
- Current or former smoking
- Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant recipients
- Tuberculosis
- Use of immunosuppressive drugs
Most of these conditions can affect the immune system in such a significant way that they would inhibit the body’s ability to fight off a Covid-19 infection, increasing the risk of that infection causing severe illness or death.
These underlying conditions will make an estimated 100 million to 200 million people in the US eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine under the new framework, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Vinay Prasad, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, wrote in an editorial in May in the New England Journal of Medicine...
Most Covid-19 vaccinations in the US have happened at pharmacies. During the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, an estimated 71.5% of shots were given in pharmacies or drug stores, according to CDC data, followed by an estimated 9.2% at clinics or health centers...
In May, Kennedy announced major changes to Covid-19 recommendations for children and pregnant women. In updated recommendations, children are able to get the vaccines after consulting with a health care provider, what’s known as shared decision-making.
Then, emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines were rescinded, which means Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, is no longer authorized for children younger than 5. Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine is approved for children as young as 6 months, but only if they have an underlying condition that puts them at higher risk. Children who are 12 and older and have at least one underlying condition that puts them at severe risk of severe disease are eligible for Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, the only protein-based, non-mRNA vaccine available in the US.
The American Academy of Pediatrics broke with the CDC to make a broader recommendation for the Covid-19 vaccine. It says that all children ages 6 months through 23 months should receive a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have known allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients. It also recommends a single dose of the vaccine for children ages 2 through 18 years if they are at high risk of Covid-19, residents of long-term care facilities, have never been vaccinated against Covid-19 or live in a household with people who are high-risk for Covid-19. It also says the vaccine should be available for this age group even if they are not in these risk groups...
However, pregnancy or recent pregnancy remain on the list of conditions that put someone at higher risk for severe Covid-19, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently reaffirmed support for Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy...
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a post on X that “100% of adults in this country can still get the vaccine if they choose. We are not limiting availability to anyone.”
Health care providers can provide Covid-19 vaccines “off-label” for those who do not meet the new eligibility criteria based on their age or overall health, Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement Wednesday. A medical product is “off-label” when it’s used outside of the terms for which the FDA has explicitly approved it...
Comment