New COVID-19 Vaccine Restrictions: What It Means For MD Residents

Maryland residents looking for the newest COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the fall and winter respiratory illness season will be faced with some limits, as the Food and Drug Administration announced changes to who is eligible to receive them.

The FDA approved new versions of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech and from Moderna, the companies announced. The newest versions are designed to target the LP.8.1 sublineage of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the most recent variant that has been spreading in Maryland.

However, the new versions will not be available to every Maryland resident who wants one, according to the FDA approvals.

The updated vaccines will only be available to people age 65 or older, the FDA said. Those 64 or younger can only receive the vaccines if they have at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19, the FDA said.

Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — following recommendations by infectious disease experts — has urged annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.

But in May, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. A few days later, the CDC issued language that healthy children may get the shots, but that there was no longer a “should” recommendation.

The idea that healthy older kids may be able to skip COVID-19 boosters has been brewing for some time among public health experts. As the COVID-19 pandemic has waned, experts have increasingly discussed the possibility of focusing vaccination efforts on people 65 and older — who are among those most as risk for death and hospitalization.

A CDC expert panel in June was set to make recommendations about the fall shots. Among the options the panel was considering was to suggest shots for high-risk groups but still give lower-risk people the choice to get vaccinated.

But Kennedy bypassed the group, and also decided to dismiss the 17-member panel and appoint his own, smaller panel that included vaccine skeptics. Kennedy also later excluded the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and other top medical organizations from working with the advisers to establish vaccination recommendations.

Kennedy's new vaccine panel has yet to vote on COVID-19 shot recommendations.

According to the Maryland Department of Health, residents 6 months and older are still eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. State health officials especially recommend it for people age 65 and older, those who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, and those who have never gotten the vaccine.

The state's recommendations match those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which say those 6 months old or older should receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.