OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
7:03 PM – Thursday, August 28, 2025
U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved “updated” COVID-19 vaccines, but significantly narrowed their use for many Americans, while removing one of the two options available for young children.
The argument for narrowing the use of the updated COVID-19 vaccines likely stems from collected safety and efficacy data. Regulators believe that the vaccines are most beneficial for certain age groups or high-risk populations, while the risks or limited benefits for others, particularly young children, may outweigh the advantages.
Essentially, regulators are trying to target the vaccines to groups that will benefit the most — while minimizing unnecessary exposure for those at lower risk.
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The new vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are authorized for all seniors. For younger adults and children, however, the Food and Drug Administration limited eligibility to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity.
A Novavax spokesperson projected its vaccine would arrive in early fall.
Pfizer’s vaccine will no longer be available for children under five, as the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization for that age group. However, pro-vax parents can still turn to Moderna, whose mRNA vaccine, Spikevax, retains FDA approval for children as young as six months. With Pfizer, its use is now restricted to children with at least one serious health condition.
FDA officials stated that the updated vaccines, designed to target a newer iteration of what they labeled a “continuously evolving virus,” are expected to begin shipping soon. However, it may take days, or even weeks, before Americans know whether they can access a dose, as availability will depend on decisions by federal health advisers, insurers, pharmacies, and state authorities.
The new distribution guidelines, first outlined by FDA officials in May, represent a major departure from the previous U.S. policy, which recommended annual COVID-19 mRNA shots for everyone aged six months and older.
“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” Kennedy stated on social media.
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is authorized only for individuals 12 and older and is subject to the same risk-based restrictions now applied to Moderna and Pfizer. It remains the nation’s sole traditional, protein-based COVID-19 shot.
Some medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have since criticized the restrictions, warning they might “limit access” for families seeking to “protect their children.”
In a Wednesday statement, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that the vaccines will be available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors. Insurers generally base vaccine coverage on guidance from a CDC advisory panel, though many also consider recommendations from professional groups such as the American Medical Association.
Earlier this year, Kennedy Jr. shook up the CDC advisory panel by bringing in more critically thinking doctors and researchers known for questioning the safety of mRNA vaccines. Kennedy Jr. has also frequently portrayed himself as a “critical thinker” regarding vaccines — framing his stance as a challenge to a scientific consensus compromised by conflicts of interest.
The panel is set to meet in September, though officials have yet to release any plan.
Pfizer has not yet sought full approval for its doses for children under five, leaving Moderna as the sole provider for that age group this year.
On Wednesday, Kennedy announced that the government had not only revoked the emergency use authorization of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for young children but also withdrew the remaining authorizations for all other pandemic-era vaccines, as well as convalescent plasma, a therapy once used to treat hospitalized patients before the advent of antiviral drugs.
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