New federal covid vaccine rules spark pushback in Minnesota

The FDA approved a new round of COVID vaccines, but eligibility was limited to people 65 and older, or anyone six months and older with underlying health conditions.

5 hours ago

Keenan Gibson,

(NBC)- For years, the COVID vaccine has been widely available to anyone six months and older. But that is changing under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new round of COVID vaccines, but eligibility was limited to people 65 and older, or anyone six months and older with underlying health conditions. Kennedy defended the policy, saying, “Right now, we are dealing with completely different circumstances. The calculus is different. And it’s complicated.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz pushed back Monday, issuing an executive order accusing Kennedy of leading a “misinformation campaign.” The order directs state agencies to work to preserve vaccine access, and calls on state epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield to review the federal guidelines and consider issuing state-level recommendations.

Jessica Hancock-Allen, who oversees the infectious diseases division at the Minnesota Department of Health, said the governor’s action aligns with the department’s mission. “The executive order is really supporting the good work we’ve been doing,” she said. “We’re exploring whether it would be necessary to expand the group of folks that are covered and could get the COVID vaccine.”

For now, CVS and Walgreens say the shots remain available at Minnesota locations for eligible groups. But unless patients are seniors or have underlying conditions, they can’t book appointments without a prescription.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, warned that the changes add new barriers. “It introduces more hoops,” he said. “We are confused, and we are a little anxious about the changes. But one other way to think about this is the things that are not going to change: those 65 and older will get the vaccine.”