Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the latest COVID-19 vaccine, but only for those 65 and older or for those 12 to 64 who have at least one health problem that puts them at increased risk from COVID-19 (Source: FDA Approves Novavax COVID-19 Shot but with Unusual Restrictions, Associated Press via Dayton Daily News, May 17, 2025).
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, the nation’s only traditional protein-based coronavirus vaccine, until now, had emergency authorization from the FDA for use in anyone 12 and older. But on May 23, the FDA granted the company full approval for its vaccine with new age restrictions.
Vaccines made by Novavax’s competitors Pfizer and Moderna already are fully licensed for use in anyone 12 and older, and also authorized for use in children as young as 6 months.
Next month, influential advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were set to debate if yearly COVID vaccines still should be recommended for everyone or only certain people at higher risk. The Novavax decision suggests the Trump Administration may already have decided how to proceed in advance of that meeting.