CDC delay puts children’s COVID-19 shots in limbo for over half of US kids
A pause on orders through the main no-cost vaccine program leaves access unclear as fall virus season begins.
The CDC has delayed letting states order this season’s COVID-19 vaccines for children through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, disrupting normal distribution ahead of respiratory virus season. VFC is the main channel for no‑cost childhood vaccines for uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid‑eligible and Indigenous children, covering roughly 52% of US kids. At the same time, at least 11 states and one US territory that usually buy all children’s vaccines through universal purchase programs tied to VFC contracts are also affected. Those jurisdictions include Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming, and American Samoa. The net result is that more than half of US children may have uncertain access to this year’s COVID-19 shot as fall vaccination campaigns start.
Why it matters
By holding up COVID-19 vaccine orders in the Vaccines for Children program, the CDC has created a gap in the primary pathway for no-cost shots just as respiratory virus season starts. Because VFC supports about 52 percent of US children and underpins universal purchase programs in multiple states and American Samoa, more than half of children now face uncertain access to this season’s dose, raising the risk of uneven protection across the country.
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