CDC reopens state ordering for COVID-19 vaccines after unexplained delay

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Ars Technica on Thursday that states can once again place orders for COVID-19 vaccines, though it again declined to explain what had caused the earlier delay or how the issue was resolved.

The disruption occurred against a backdrop of years-long efforts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy to restrict access to COVID-19 vaccines. He has previously made false claims describing them as the "deadliest vaccine ever made" and has petitioned the FDA to withdraw and block approval for the shots. Last year, after becoming health secretary, he unilaterally revoked the CDC's universal recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination.

Court intervention and current guidance

In March, a federal judge halted a number of other changes that Kennedy and his allies had made to CDC vaccine recommendations. As a result, the CDC's guidance has remained frozen at the level it was in July 2025: vaccination is recommended for children aged 6 months to 17 years who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Healthy children in that age range are instead advised to make a decision through consultation with a pharmacist or doctor.

An update added to the CDC's clinical guidance yesterday states that, because of legal uncertainties and ongoing inquiries, the recommendations from the July 2025 immunization schedule will remain in effect for the 2026–2027 respiratory illness season.

These recommendations, however, diverge from those issued by leading medical organizations. Their guidance for this year's fall vaccination season recommends that all infants aged 6 to 23 months receive a COVID-19 vaccine, while children aged 2 to 18 should be vaccinated if they are at higher risk or if they wish to be.