Are you in the U.S. and have you tried getting a COVID vaccine this year? We want to hear from you. (Photo: Yulia Reznikova, Getty Images)
Each fall, updated versions of COVID-19 vaccines are released around the same time as the annual flu shot. And like the flu shot, these updated COVID vaccines are designed to protect against strains of the virus that people are more likely to encounter in the coming months, as opposed to strains that were prevalent the previous year.
However, the search for an updated COVID vaccine could prove challenging this year.
In August, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance limiting the groups for whom the updated vaccine is recommended: The vaccine is only for people 65 years of age and older or at least 6 months of age with one underlying medical condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19. People outside those two groups may need to see a doctor for a prescription before getting a COVID-19 vaccine, and even then, their insurance may not cover the vaccine. The situation is confusing, and the picture varies from state to state.
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Typically, vaccine advisers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also weigh in on the decision, taking into account their own COVID vaccine recommendations, and that's set to happen next week (September 18-19). But that committee has recently added prominent anti-vaxxers, so it's unclear what decision it will make.
Some states are already deviating from federal recommendations. Minnesota and New York, for example, have issued orders to try to expand their residents’ access to vaccinations, and the New Jersey Department of Health issued a directive to do the same. Oregon, Washington, California, and Hawaii have formed an alliance to provide their residents with uniform vaccination recommendations, though they have yet to release details about COVID-19 vaccinations for 2025-2026.
Have you tried to get a COVID vaccine this year? If so, how did it go? Let us know in the poll below, and if you had any issues getting the COVID vaccine this year, let us know in the comments. Live Science will be publishing additional COVID vaccine recommendations for 2025-2026 next week, so stay tuned for that and this article.
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Nicoletta Lanese. Social Links Navigation. Editor of the Health Channel.
Nicoletta Lanez is the Health Editor at Live Science and previously served as the site’s news editor and staff writer. She holds a certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, Mercury News, Mongabay, and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other publications. Based in New York City, she is also an avid dancer and performs in productions by local choreographers.
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