Nearly three weeks after the FDA approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, about half of U.S. children still cannot access them through a federal program because HHS has not decided whether to distribute the shots through the Vaccines for Children program, according to a Sept. 16 report from The New York Times.
Vaccines for Children provides free shots to children who are uninsured, underinsured, eligible for Medicaid or American Indian or Alaska Native. State officials cannot place orders through the CDC until HHS signs off. An HHS spokesperson told the Times the agency was still “finalizing decisions” and that “an arbitrary September date should not be treated as a public-health deadline for COVID-19 vaccine procurement,” since COVID-19 does not follow the same seasonal pattern as flu. Both Pfizer and Moderna confirmed they have shipped pediatric doses and are not facing supply shortages.
Michelle Fiscus, MD, chief medical officer of the Association of Immunization Managers, told the Times a similar Vaccines for Children delay occurred last year, calling it “unfortunate, but not unexpected.”
The delay comes amid ongoing litigation involving the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which typically votes on whether vaccines are covered under the Vaccines for Children program. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 sitting ACIP members in June 2025 and replaced them with new appointees, a move multiple states and medical groups sued to block. A federal judge ruled in March that the panel’s overhaul was unlawful and reinstated prior childhood immunization guidance, a decision the administration is appealing. As of a June update, ACIP had not met all year.
Major medical organizations recommend COVID-19 vaccination for all children ages 6 to 23 months and for children of any age with underlying conditions that raise their risk of severe illness, even as the FDA’s Aug. 27 approvals were narrowed, limiting eligibility largely to adults 65 and older and people with qualifying high-risk conditions.
