Covid Vaccines: Restricted Access, Rising Risks
Why updated shots are harder to get—and what you can still do to protect yourself and your family
Covid Vaccines: Harder to Find, More Important Than Ever
For four years, one of the easiest questions in medicine was: Who can get a Covid vaccine? The answer was simple—everyone, from 6 months old to 106. That clarity is gone.
Under President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the newest Covid vaccines only for:
Adults 65 and older
Anyone with a medical condition that increases the risk of severe Covid
If you don’t meet those criteria? The road to a vaccine just got rocky.
Why This Matters
Covid has not disappeared. Each wave leaves behind hospitalizations, deaths, and long-term complications—heart disease, strokes, long Covid. The updated vaccines reduce those risks. Limiting access doesn’t make the virus less dangerous; it just makes prevention harder.
The FDA estimates that 30–60% of Americans have at least one high-risk condition (everything from asthma and obesity to cancer and immune compromise). But for the rest, especially healthy adults under 65 and children, getting vaccinated may require off-label prescriptions, insurance fights, and a very cooperative doctor.
Where Things Stand
Pfizer & Moderna: shipping immediately after FDA approval.
Novavax: expected early fall.
Timing: best to get your shot in late September or October—just before the winter surge.
Am I Eligible?
✅ Yes, if you are:
Age 65+
Living with a condition listed by the CDC (asthma, obesity, cancer, diabetes, inactivity, immune compromise, etc.)
❌ Not automatically, if you are:
Under 65 with no chronic conditions
A healthy child
Your doctor can prescribe off label, but many won’t—and pharmacies may be barred by state law or reluctant because of liability fears.
What About Pregnancy and Kids?
Pregnant people are among the groups who benefit most from vaccination—protecting both mother and baby. Yet federal messaging is contradictory. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists continues to recommend vaccination during pregnancy.
Children are even trickier:
Moderna: 6 months+ with risk conditions
Pfizer: 5 years+ with risk conditions
Novavax: 12 years+ with risk conditions
Healthy kids? Off-label only, if a pediatrician is willing. This despite the fact that children under 2 are at some of the highest risk for severe Covid complications.
Insurance and Cost
If you’re eligible under FDA rules: Insurance must cover it.
Off-label: Coverage is murkier. Right now, the CDC still recommends wider use, but that may change. Insurers could then walk away from covering it.
We hope insurance companies will follow recommendations from major medical groups, like The American Academy for Pediatrics
What You Can Do
If you’re eligible: Plan to get vaccinated in late September or October. Pair it with your flu shot, and add RSV if you qualify.
If you’re under 65 and healthy: Talk with your doctor now about off-label options.
If you’re pregnant or have kids: Advocate. Bring your pediatrician and OB the latest recommendations from professional societies like ACOG and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
If you’re in doubt: Err on the side of protection. Covid’s complications last far longer than the mild side effects of vaccination.
The Bigger Picture
Science tells us that vaccines save lives. Politics has made them harder to access. The risk hasn’t gone away—only the clarity.
Stay informed. Stay skeptical of bad policy. And when it comes to your health, fight for access to the tools that work.