CDC adds consultation before COVID vaccination, making it harder to get shots [View all]

CDC adds consultation before COVID vaccination : NPR




The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday accepted controversial new guidelines for the updated COVID-19 vaccines that could make it harder for many people to protect themselves this winter compared with previous years.

Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill agreed to the recommendations for the COVID shots from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which met in September.

Unlike in earlier years, the new guidelines call for people to talk to a doctor, pharmacist or some other health care provider about the risks and benefits of getting vaccinated before they get a shot. This extra step is called "shared decision-making,"or "individual-based decision-making" according to the language in the press release.

The move is the final action necessary for implementing the new guidelines, which affect who can get and give the COVID shot, and whether vaccination will be covered by private and government insurance without copayments.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/06/nx-s1-5563869/cdc-covid-vaccine-recommendation