The Trump administration is reportedly delaying the provision of Covid vaccines for all children in at least 11 US states and one US territory. Officials have not specified when or if these vaccines will become available.
This action is described by experts as the latest move by top officials to restrict vaccines in America, potentially setting a precedent for other immunisations. Daniel Jernigan, former director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggested these actions could be a way of "testing the waters" on halting other vaccines in the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
More than half of children in the US receive vaccines through VFC. States with universal purchase programs, which buy vaccines through VFC for all children regardless of insurance or ability to pay, include Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming. Children eligible for VFC, such as those who are under- or uninsured, or enrolled in Medicaid, as well as all children in universal VFC states, currently lack access to Covid vaccines.
Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), confirmed that Covid vaccines are not available through VFC. She stated that the CDC is "finalizing decisions" about Covid vaccine procurement through the VFC and Section 317 programs, with "additional information will be available soon."