COVID-19 vaccine won't require a prescription, according to HHS panel vote

By Jessica Hall

The government declined to provide a recommendation, saying individuals should decide whether to get the vaccine

A Health and Human Services Department panel voted against positive recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.

A panel picked by Health and Human Services Secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted against making positive recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines for any age group, but decided against requiring a prescription for the shot.

The panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said adults age 65 and older should decide on COVID-19 vaccines individually or with a doctor. The panel added that people ages 6 months to 64 should also decide individually.

On the second day of a meeting of the ACIP panel - which makes recommendations on vaccine policy for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - the group also voted to require greater disclosure of the risks and uncertainties of the vaccines.

The votes come amid a shakeup in the panel itself as well as changes at the CDC under Kennedy, who earlier this year fired all 17 previous members of the panel and named seven new members. He appointed five additional members earlier this week.

On Friday, the panel also tabled a decision on whether children should get the Hepatitis B shot at birth, and reversed a vote taken the previous day regarding the shot known as MMRV - measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) - because some members misunderstood the wording of the recommendation. As a result of the new vote, the MMRV shot is no longer recommended and will not be paid for by government insurance.

The panel's decisions are important since most private insurers are required to cover the shots it recommends and many states tie their policies to the committee's guidelines. ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorff said it was his understanding that the panel's vote would mean that COVID-19 vaccines would still be covered by insurance.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services could not be immediately reached for comment.

The panel's votes require final approval from the acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill, who was appointed following the departure of previous director Susan Monarez.

-Jessica Hall

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09-19-25 1638ET