Covid vaccinations have officially been added to the list of routine vaccinations for children and adults.
Officials said the move would “normalise” the vaccine and “send a strong message” that everyone over the age of six should stay up-to-date on their Covid vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) passed the move today after independent vaccine advisers proposed the changes.
This puts vaccination in the same category as vaccines for diseases such as polio, measles and hepatitis B.
But it’s not mandatory, and unlike those shots, kids who don’t get them aren’t expelled from school.
Officials said the move would “normalize” the vaccine and send a strong message that everyone over the age of six should stay up-to-date on their Covid vaccines
This comes as the FDA is considering moving the introduction of the Covid vaccine to an annual schedule similar to the flu vaccination program.
The CDC has added a primary series of two or three doses of the Covid vaccine and a booster shot for people over 19 and children over six months to the schedule.
Dr. Neil Murthy and Dr. A. Patricia Wodi, an epidemiologist at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a CNN statement, “This means that the Covid-19 vaccine is now offered like any other routinely recommended vaccine and will no longer be offered, as in previous years, in a special “shoutout” box.
Covid shots are here to stay!
Covid shots will become an indefinite part of American life, according to health officials’ plans.
In a way, this helps to ‘normalise’ this vaccine and sends a strong message to both healthcare providers and the general public that everyone aged six months and over should be aware of the recommended Covid-19 vaccines (including a booster shot where as appropriate) must be kept up to date. , just like any other routinely recommended vaccine.”
The US government’s contracts with vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer expire this year, prompting the companies to quadruple the price of the injections.
While Americans won’t be paying for this increase out of pocket, premiums are still rising everywhere.
Americans can expect to pay about $130 for Moderna’s vaccine, which is estimated to cost just $1.18 to produce, a 10,000 percent premium. The vaccine currently sells for about $26 per dose.
Moderna — which posted an estimated profit of $39 billion last year — took advantage of a multibillion-dollar taxpayer-funded support package to develop its Covid shot under the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed and to test.
The subsidized injections are so far free for all Americans, regardless of whether they have health insurance.
And while insured Americans likely won’t see any difference when they get the shots, those without coverage face a hefty price.
Insurance premiums will cover the price increase, meaning Americans won’t actually pay out of pocket, but it will still drive up premiums everywhere.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
