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Boston Globe

Confused by changes in COVID and other vaccine policies? Here's what you should know.

At its first meeting this week, the new advisory committee announced it would review immunization schedules for children, potentially upsetting long-standing recommendations. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, earlier said he was ending the government's recommendation that healthy children get the COVID vaccine. Today, many people are confused about whether and when to get vaccines for themselves and their families. Advertisement Here's what you need to know: Are vaccines safe? Vaccines are 'very safe,' What's the history of vaccines? Vaccines date back hundreds of years. In 1955, Congress passed the Polio Vaccination Assistance Act, the first federal involvement in immunization activities. It allowed Congress to allocate funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, to help states and local communities acquire and administer vaccines. Advertisement What do American specialists in public health say about vaccine safety? The CDC says childhood vaccines 'are very safe.' The U.S., the agency says, 'has the safest vaccine supply in its history. Millions of children safely receive vaccines each year. The most common side effects are very mild, such as pain or swelling at the injection site.' Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has taken steps to upend decades-old policies on vaccines. TIERNEY L. CROSS/NYT What do medical experts say about vaccines? Numerous respected medical centers, including Mass. General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic, cite the safety and importance of vaccines in preventing serious illnesses. Are vaccines mandatory? for public school attendance. Local school districts are responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements. What changes has the new Trump administration made on vaccines? Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CDC has recommended that anyone six months and older should get the COVID vaccine. But Kennedy in May announced the CDC would no longer recommend it for healthy children, an abrupt change in policy apparently made without consulting the CDC. A couple days later, however, in an update on its website, the CDC modified that recommendation, saying, Any other changes regarding COVID vaccines? Kennedy also announced a proposal to no longer recommend the COVID vaccine for healthy pregnant women. Advertisement Are COVID vaccinations still necessary? How serious is COVID? The COVID pandemic ranks as one of the deadliest disasters in the country's history. The U.S. has had more than 100 million cases of COVID and more than 1 million deaths. Are COVID shots free? Yes, the COVID vaccine is available at no cost through most insurance plans, including Medicare Part B. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendation of a vaccine is key to the costs being covered by insurance companies. That's one of the main reasons the advisory committee is so important. Its approvals also factor into decisions by state authorities on which vaccines to mandate for school-aged children. How do I get the COVID vaccine? Contact your doctor, pharmacist, or community health center, or visit their websites. What groups are most at risk for COVID? Older adults are at the highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, with more than 80 percent of COVID deaths occurring in people over 65. Anyone with obesity, diabetes, asthma, or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease or who are immunocompromised can also be at increased risk for getting very sick from COVID. What other vaccines are recommended? In addition to the COVID vaccine, Advertisement Demonstrators rallied in support of the CDC during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday. Mike Stewart/Associated Press What about RSV? Pneumonia? Shingles? What about childhood vaccinations? Got a problem? Send your consumer issue to