The CDC's vaccine advisors are considering options that would narrow the recommendations for the fall COVID vaccine to only include groups at higher risk for severe illness.
The news came at a Tuesday meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the first of a 2-day session that was originally scheduled for February but abruptly postponedopens in a new tab or window by HHS.
Seasonal COVID shots are currently recommended for everyone 6 months and older, but CDC's Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, MD, MPH, presented findings from a recent poll of the ACIP COVID-19 Work Groupopens in a new tab or window showing that 76% of its members supported a non-universal (risk-based) recommendation for the 2025-2026 respiratory virus season.
"I guess I am surprised we're considering a risk-based recommendation," said ACIP member Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, of the University of Iowa's medical school.
She worried it will be harder to implement, and may cause more headaches for patients who want to get shots and have them covered by insurance.
According to estimates, 74% of U.S. adults have at least one condition placing them at higher risk for severe illness, whether that be age, a chronic illness, or an immune-compromising condition.
In the April 3 poll on non-universal policy options, 84% of the work group members supported COVID vaccine recommendations for specific conditions and exposures, 84% supported a universal recommendation for certain age groups (e.g., those 65 and up), and 89% said they supported having the vaccines available for anyone wanting protection.
