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    "parsed_content": "U.S. Health PolicyDelayed Child Covid VaccinesChildren\u2019s Health ReformsFall Vaccine GuidanceRestrictions on Food IngredientsAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTCovid Vaccines Delayed for Half of U.S. ChildrenThe Health Department has not decided whether to provide the shots to states through the Vaccines for Children program, which serves uninsured and low-income families.Listen \u00b7 3:34 min Share full articleCredit...John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune\/Getty ImagesBy Maggie AstorSept. 16, 2026Nearly three weeks after the Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid vaccines, about half of American children still cannot receive them, because the federal government has not made the doses available through the Vaccines for Children program.Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed on Wednesday that the department had not yet made a decision about whether to provide the shots through that program. Vaccines for Children provides free shots to children who are uninsured, underinsured or eligible for Medicaid, as well as to American Indian and Alaska Native children.Pediatric doses are available for children who have insurance, or whose parents can afford to pay for vaccines out of pocket.Vaccines for Children doses are distributed to state and local officials through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state officials cannot place orders until the department signs off. The lack of a decision was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe delay and confusion may be related, at least in part, to the uncertainty surrounding a C.D.C. advisory panel that makes recommendations on vaccines. The panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, normally votes on whether specific vaccines will be covered by the Vaccines for Children program. But the panel has been in legal limbo since a federal judge ruled in March that the members appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were not qualified to make vaccine recommendations.Career officials at the C.D.C. have been aiming to make the vaccines available through Vaccines for Children, according to a person familiar with the work. (Career officials are nonpolitical employees who serve across different presidential administrations.) The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private actions within the agency.Ms. Hilliard said the C.D.C. was \u201cfinalizing decisions\u201d about providing updated Covid shots through Vaccines for Children, adding, \u201cH.H.S. and C.D.C. have a responsibility to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources and that vaccines procured through federally funded programs are appropriate for the populations those programs serve.\u201dShe contended that, because Covid does not follow the same seasonal pattern as the flu, \u201can arbitrary September date should not be treated as a public-health deadline for Covid-19 vaccine procurement.\u201dHowever, Covid cases are rising in much of the country. Major medical organizations have recommended vaccination for all children 6 to 23 months old and for children of any age who have underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTEven for children who don\u2019t rely on the program, there are potential logistical difficulties: In some states, pharmacists cannot vaccinate young children, and not all pediatricians\u2019 offices have Covid vaccines in stock. Both Pfizer and Moderna confirmed that they had shipped pediatric doses and were not experiencing supply shortages or delays, however.Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the chief medical officer for the Association of Immunization Managers, said there was a similar delay in Vaccines for Children availability last year. \u201cThis delay is unfortunate, but not unexpected,\u201d she said.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-16T22:51:25+00:00",
    "author_name": "Maggie Astor",
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