Episode Details

Is your immune system strong enough for politics? In a reversal of federal public health policy, the Trump administration announced it will restrict access to seasonal COVID-19 shots, reserving them mainly for seniors and high-risk individuals. That’s despite the fact that COVID-19 claimed more than 47,000 American lives last year, including 231 children.

Under new FDA guidance backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., most healthy Americans under 65 will not be eligible for updated boosters unless new clinical trials prove they’re necessary. That means, for the first time, your access to a shot could depend on whether you’re deemed high-risk.

The new policy reflects a growing movement inside the administration to pull back on vaccines, especially for the young and healthy. Dr. Vinay Prasad, now the FDA’s top vaccine official, described the decision as a compromise. Critics call the policy dangerous.

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