States can now order this season's COVID-19 vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children program, which provides free immunizations to low-income children. The move follows a nearly monthlong delay after the Food and Drug Administration approved the shots in late August, and the Department of Health and Human Services has still not explained what caused the hold-up.
HHS initially told Ars Technica that the CDC had not finalized procurement decisions and suggested officials were questioning whether children should receive the vaccines. The Washington Post later reported that ordering was opening, with an unnamed source citing a delay in finalizing clinical guidance that needed external review. CDC career officials had reportedly finished preparations, and a Minnesota health spokesperson said the state was told CDC leadership approval was required before distribution could begin.
The unresolved delay comes amid Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s long history of attacking COVID-19 vaccines. Current CDC recommendations, updated with a note about legal uncertainties, remain those from July 2025: vaccination is recommended for immunocompromised children, while healthy children are advised to get it through shared clinical decision-making. Leading medical groups, by contrast, recommend all infants 6 to 23 months old receive the vaccine this fall, with older children vaccinated if at higher risk or by choice.