With COVID cases surging across California at levels not seen since a year ago, and the fall respiratory virus season approaching, access to vaccines may be more limited.<\/p>\n
The virus is no longer the menace that five years ago unleashed a pandemic, caused a million U.S. deaths<\/a> and spurred government mask mandates and gathering restrictions. Demand for COVID vaccines has fallen, with some 60% in the U.S. showing little or no interest, according to an August Kaiser Family Foundation survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n But current virus variants continue to spread burning throats, fevers and other miseries. The disease remains more dangerous for seniors and younger people with preexisting health conditions. Those who do want to get the shot and thereby reduce risk of severe illness face conflicting recommendations from federal, state and other health officials, plus uncertainty over access and whether insurance will cover the cost.<\/p>\n \u201cNever has our population been more confused than now,\u201d said John \u200bSwartzberg, a clinical professor of infectious diseases and vaccinology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.<\/p>\n Federal regulators, led by U.S. Health Secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., approved new shots\u00a0in August but limited access for millions of Americans.<\/p>\n Previously, the federal government authorized and recommended shots\u00a0for adults and children six months and older. But when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 shots for the 2025-2026 season last month, it\u00a0authorized them only for seniors and younger people with at least one high-risk medical condition, such as cancer or obesity.<\/p>\n On September 18, an advisory panel at the CDC is set to consider recommendations about vaccine eligibility. Earlier this year, Kennedy replaced the entire CDC panel, naming several doctors and researchers who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients.<\/p>\n Until the panel makes its conclusions, health insurers are in a holding pattern. They typically follow the panel\u2019s recommendations when deciding which vaccinations to cover.<\/p>\n Elissa Harrington, an East Bay spokesperson for Kaiser, said the state\u2019s largest insurer was reviewing the FDA\u2019s guidelines and awaiting the CDC\u2019s recommendations. The health giant will also evaluate the opinions of \u201crelevant medical societies, to ensure safe and effective administration of the COVID vaccine,\u201d she said in an email.<\/p>\n \u201cKaiser Permanente is committed to making the 2025-26 COVID vaccine available at no cost to children and adults for protection from severe illness from COVID,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n That coverage will be key for patients, said Andrew Noymer, professor of population health and disease prevention at UC Irvine.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing is, are the insurance companies going to pay for it? Because a lot of people will balk at the price,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Currently, seniors and younger adults with certain medical conditions<\/a> can get the jab at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, spokespersons said.\u00a0The pharmacies will also give the vaccine to healthy people outside of those categories if they can get a prescription from their doctor. CVS will only take walk-in appointments for these patients, said spokesperson Amy Thibault.<\/p>\n But the criteria for a prescription is unclear. And without insurance coverage, the out-of-pocket of a shot is $150 or higher, presenting another barrier to access.<\/p>\n Further muddying the waters, Californians will likely have to parse dueling recommendations on vaccine use. Gov. Gavin Newsom\u00a0this week\u00a0announced that California will develop its own \u201cscience-based\u201d immunization recommendations in a partnership with other West Coast states.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll do that until the federal government begins to return to a rational process \u2014 we hope,\u201d said Georges Benjamin, a physician who leads the Washington-based nonprofit American Public Health Association, which opposes Kennedy.<\/p>\n