CDC delays COVID-19 vaccine access for children under RFK Jr.
The CDC has unexpectedly delayed distribution of this year's COVID-19 vaccines through a key federal program, leaving over half of US children facing uncertain access. The delay comes amid Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s longstanding hostility toward the vaccines.
As fall respiratory virus season approaches and vaccination drives get underway, more than half of American children face uncertainty over access to this year's COVID-19 shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has unexpectedly delayed distribution of the vaccines to a key federal program and to several states.
Normally, the CDC allows states to order seasonal COVID-19 vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides free vaccines to children who are uninsured, underinsured, eligible for Medicaid, or Indigenous. About 52 percent of all US children qualify for vaccines through this program.
According to The Guardian, at least 11 states and one US territory participate in a universal vaccine purchase program, buying all children's vaccines regardless of ability to pay or insurance status through contracts otherwise used for VFC. These include Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming, and American Samoa.
Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told The Guardian that the VFC delay means these states cannot yet secure vaccines for all their children.
Unclear justification
The Department of Health and Human Services told Ars Technica that the CDC has not yet finalized procurement decisions for COVID-19 vaccines under the VFC and Section 317 programs. The department, led by prominent vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., declined to explain the reason for the delay, but its statement suggested officials are questioning whether vaccines purchased through these federally funded programs are appropriate for the populations they serve. Additional details were promised soon.
Kennedy has previously and falsely called COVID-19 vaccines "the deadliest vaccine ever made" and has attempted to link them to children's deaths despite a lack of supporting evidence.
