Who can get updated COVID vaccines this fall? FDA will OK for high-risk groups, calls for new clinical trials
CBSMAY 17
FDA Limits COVID Shots to High-Risk Groups
Above: A sign for the Food And Drug Administration is seen outside of the headquarters on July 20, 2020, in White Oak, Maryland. Image copyright: Sarah Silbiger/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
The new framework represents a balanced, evidence-based approach that ensures timely access for vulnerable populations while demanding rigorous scientific proof of benefit for low-risk individuals. This policy shift will help restore public trust in vaccines by requiring gold-standard data and acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all approach may no longer be appropriate given widespread immunity from prior vaccination and infection.
Democratic narrative
This overly restrictive policy will unnecessarily limit vaccine access for people who want protection, potentially leaving millions of healthy Americans vulnerable. The extensive safety and effectiveness data already collected from hundreds of millions of doses should be sufficient, and requiring new placebo-controlled trials raises ethical concerns given COVID-19's continued threat of hospitalization and death.