CDC panel abandons COVID vaccine recommendation, saying it's a personal choiceMembers also decided not to require a prescription for the COVID-19 vaccine.
By Sony Salzman, Will McDuffie, and Dr. Jade Cobern
September 19, 2025, 5:55 PM
CDC panel drops COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, says it's a personal choice
CDC panel drops COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, says it's a personal choiceThe CDC's vaccine advisory panel voted Friday to abandon its recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine, with the committee unanimously voting to recommend that Americans make it a personal choice.
A panel of vaccine advisers on Friday voted to abandon its previous universal recommendation for annual COVID-19 vaccine shots for anyone 6 months and older, with the committee unanimously voting to instead suggest that Americans can get the shot "based on individual-based decision-making" -- meaning it's a personal choice.
The Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News federal vaccine programs will continue to cover the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies, and many major insurers said they would continue to cover the cost of the vaccines through at least 2026 no matter how the committee voted this week.
In a separate vote, members decided not to suggest that states require a prescription for the COVID-19 vaccine, with many members saying this would create unnecessary barriers.
Members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are seen during a meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on September 18, 2025 in Chamblee, Georgia.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
And in another separate action, members voted that CDC communicate clear risks about COVID-19 vaccines -- materials that states can choose to give to patients when they get vaccinated that list at least six of those risks.
The votes follow the Food and Drug Administration's recent narrowing of COVID-19 vaccine approvals to a smaller group of Americans -- those over 65 or with underlying medical conditions. Although the FDA and CDC are sister agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA is a regulator and CDC makes recommendations.
What do new COVID vaccine recommendations mean?Public health officials are still analyzing the vote's implications for access to COVID-19 vaccines.
There is a significant difference in public health between a "recommendation" and "You can get it if you want it" approach, and it's unclear how individual states will respond to the language.
By removing the word "recommended" to designate COVID-19 vaccines, the committee is weakening years-long guidance for universal shots to combat the virus.
If the committee's vote is codified by the acting CDC director, COVID-19 vaccines will no longer recommended but anyone 6 months old or older who wants to can get vaccinated -- to the extent they can navigate the potential confusion and their individual state’s rules.
Many members of the panel -- selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- questioned the vaccine’s benefit, but ultimately voted that most Americans can still have access, ideally following a discussion with their health care provider, although that is not a requirement.
The panel said people should know COVID-19 vaccines are most beneficial for people with risks for severe illness based on CDC definitions and least beneficial for otherwise healthy individuals.
As far as who will pay for the shots, an HHS spokesperson told ABC News that COVID-19 shots will still be covered by public insurance, including the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid and Medicare as well as insurance plans offered through the federal health insurance marketplace.
Separately, major private insurance providers have said they will cover the cost of the shots through 2026 . |
