COVID Vaccines Are Harder to Get, Despite Claims from HHS, RFK Jr.

Heated exchanges between some senators and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Sept. 4 hearing amplified confusion about the availability of COVID-19 vaccinations for the fall, with Kennedy misleadingly claiming that “anybody” can still get a vaccine. HHS policies have created roadblocks to vaccine access.

The full extent of vaccine availability won’t be clear until at least Sept. 18, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to meet to discuss its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Kennedy dismissed the entire committee over the summer and has since installed some new members, several of whom have a history of spreading false or misleading claims about vaccines.

But changes to vaccine policy thus far mean that unlike in past years, many people may need to get a prescription to get a vaccine and more may also need to pay out of pocket for the shot. They may also not be able to go to a pharmacy to get vaccinated in some places.