Wall Street Journal: How to Get the New Covid Vaccine
By Sumathi Reddy, Wall Street Journal
A few weeks ago, my friend called our local pharmacy to ask about getting a Covid-19 booster before an upcoming trip. Sorry, she was told, only people 65 and older or those with underlying health conditions were eligible for a second dose this year. She fit neither of those categories.
Expect to hear more of that.
The Food and Drug Administration last week authorized this fall’s updated Covid vaccine only for older adults and high-risk younger people. That decision set off confusion about who can get it, where and whether insurance will pay. Let’s break down what we know.
Who should get the Covid vaccine?
Doctors and professional organizations agree the priority is seniors, people with health conditions, pregnant women and children under 2. Other countries’ recommendations are similar.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May dropped the recommendation for pregnant women and healthy children.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, which advises the CDC, is slated to meet Sept. 18 and 19 to review the adult guidelines.
So who is eligible for the vaccine?
The list of criteria for underlying health conditions is broad and includes the expected—cancer, diabetes and heart conditions—as well as mental-health conditions and physical inactivity.
Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who writes the public-health newsletter “Your Local Epidemiologist,” said she anticipates that when ACIP meets, it could further narrow that list.
One noticeable gap: There are currently no provisions for occupations that might involve exposure to more sick people or people who are living with someone who is immunocompromised.
“Healthcare workers will likely not be able to get covered unless they have an underlying condition—and that, I think, is a real problem,” said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Outbreak Response Innovation.
