RFK Jr. limits who is eligible for COVID shots

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a series of moves Wednesday that will limit who is eligible for COVID vaccines even though the stratus variant is surging.

Why it matters: Patients who now want to get the COVID vaccines will first have to consult with their doctor rather than booking directly with a pharmacy, adding another step to the process.

What he's saying: "The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded," Kennedy wrote on X.

• The FDA and White House did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

State of play: The FDA approved an updated Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for adults 65 and older.

• Younger people, between 5 and 64, are eligible if they have at least one underlying health condition putting them at high risk for severe outcomes from the virus.
• "FDA has now issued marketing authorization for those at higher risk: Moderna (6+ months), Pfizer (5+), and Novavax (12+)," Kennedy said.
• Pfizer said in a statement that this season's COVID-19 vaccine will begin shipping immediately and be available in pharmacies, hospitals and clinics across the U.S. in the coming days.

What we're watching: An advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to vote within weeks to recommend COVID vaccines.

• It's unclear whether insurance plans will continue to largely cover the vaccine.
• It's also not immediately clear whether doctors will be willing to prescribe the shots to kids under 5 who don't have an underlying condition.

Zoom out: This will be the first fall and winter season without widespread COVID recommendations since the vaccines were introduced for general use.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics diverged from the CDC earlier this month, recommending COVID shots for children between 6 months and 2 years old.
• The Trump administration also recently pulled funding for the development of mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines, which were crucial in the response to COVID-19.

Zoom in: The CDC's 2025 list of underlying medical conditions that increase risk of severe COVID-19 included asthma, cancer, kidney disease, heart conditions, HIV, certain mental health deficiencies, physical inactivity and smoking.

Flashback: The FDA a year ago authorized updated Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines for adults and kids as young as six months old.

Go deeper: COVID vaccine policy remains cloudy as cases rise

Editor's note: This story has been updated with details throughout.