By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that only seniors and people at high risk should get the latest COVID-19<\/a> booster shots this fall.<\/p>\n The new framework, announced Tuesday, says adults 65 and older, and people with certain health conditions, can still get updated COVID-19 vaccines, the Associated Press<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n These changes are meant to limit the use of the shots while experts collect more data on how well they work for healthy people.<\/p>\n Dr. Vinay Prasad<\/a>, the FDA\u2019s top vaccine official, said more than 100 million Americans would still qualify for the boosters.<\/p>\n \u201cFor many Americans we simply do not know the answer as to whether or not they should be getting the seventh or eighth or ninth or tenth COVID-19 booster,\u201d Prasad said.<\/p>\n The FDA laid out its new framework in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a><\/em> and during a live webcast. This is a shift from the agency\u2019s previous approach, which made COVID-19 boosters available to nearly all adults, just like the flu shot.<\/p>\n Going forward, vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna must run large, long-term studies in healthy people before those shots can be approved for broader use.<\/p>\n \u201cIs the pharmacist going to determine if you\u2019re in a high-risk group?\u201d said Dr. Paul Offit<\/a>, a vaccine expert at Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing that can come of this will make vaccines less insurable and less available,” he said in a report from the AP.<\/em><\/p>\n The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also raised concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the vaccine were no longer available or covered by insurance, it will take the choice away from families who wish to protect their children from COVID-19, especially among families already facing barriers to care,\u201d said Dr. Sean O\u2019Leary<\/a>, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases.<\/p>\n In 2023, 231 children died from COVID-related causes, which is similar to a typical flu season, according to the AP<\/em>.<\/p>\n The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to review how COVID vaccines are handled. Last week, the FDA gave full approval to Novavax\u2019s COVID shot<\/a> but also limited it to certain groups.<\/p>\n FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary<\/a>, co-author of the new guidance, said the U.S. needs to move away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach to vaccines, the AP <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n The FDA plans a new trial to see how well boosters work in healthy adults.<\/p>\n This new guidance comes just ahead of a June meeting in which advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are to discuss who should get COVID-19 shots going forward.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 vaccination<\/a>.<\/p>\n