The US government, under former President Donald Trump, has rolled out a new plan for COVID-19 vaccine approvals. This plan limits vaccines to seniors and high-risk individuals. Others will have to wait.
The FDA says it will give vaccines to people 65 and older, and to kids or young adults with health issues. But healthy people will have to wait for updates on vaccine approval. This is a big change from the old plan, which recommended vaccines for all Americans six months and older.
Dr. Vinai Prasad, the FDA’s new vaccine officer, calls this a “middle ground” that helps high-risk groups get vaccines. He also wants to study whether regular vaccines are needed for everyone. The old way of vaccinating everyone the same way doesn’t match new data.
This new plan worries some people. They think it might limit access to vaccines for others, especially if there aren’t clear rules on who is high-risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that this plan could reduce options for families who want to protect their kids from COVID-19.
New data from the CDC shows over 47,000 people died from COVID-related causes last year. Two-thirds of these deaths were directly from the virus. The rest were from related factors. This includes 231 kids who died from COVID. The CDC says this number is close to the number of kids who die from the flu each year.
Before, US health officials recommended regular COVID vaccines, like flu shots. The FDA used to approve new COVID vaccines every year if they worked similarly to old versions. But this new plan is changing US vaccine policy. It focuses on protecting high-risk groups and reducing unnecessary vaccines. While some see this as a flexible policy, many health experts think it could lead to unequal access to protection.
Source: AP