More than half of Americans are not planning on getting their updated COVID-19 shot this fall.
Nearly six in 10 Americans say they are not planning on getting the updated vaccine ahead of the 2025-2026 cold and flu season, according to a new survey from the healthcare think tank KFF. That includes 37% who said they are “definitely not” getting the vaccine.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tweaked the COVID-19 vaccine policy since taking office about six months ago, but he has come under fire from more fervent vaccine skeptics within the Make America Healthy Again movement for not acting swiftly enough.
In May, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary announced that each year’s new COVID-19 boosters will require clinical trials proving safety and efficacy before they receive agency approval. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccines for children, saying parents should consult their child’s pediatrician about individual needs and risks instead.
Kennedy also made massive waves this summer by firing all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine safety review board and replacing them with public health outsiders. That board, in its June meeting, launched a comprehensive review of the cumulative effects of the childhood vaccine schedule, including COVID-19 vaccines.
But the KFF’s survey released Friday found that most people are confused about the ins and outs of the changes to vaccine policy Kennedy has made so far.
Four-in-10 people report not knowing enough to say how Kennedy’s leadership has changed vaccine policy. Another 26% say he’s made “minor changes,” while another 26% say he’s made “major changes.”
Roughly a third of people surveyed say they’re concerned that COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be available to them if they want one or will no longer be covered by insurance.
Uptake of annual COVID boosters has been consistently low since the height of the pandemic era.
Like flu vaccines, the formula for COVID-19 shots is updated each spring as virologists and immunologists predict which strain of the virus will likely dominate the next year’s cold and flu season.
The CDC reported that, as of April, only 22% of American adults had received the COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-2025 cold season. Only 13% of children in the United States received the vaccine.
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KFF’s survey indicated that 36% of seniors over 65 said they “definitely” will get the updated COVID-19 shot when it is available. Roughly the same number of Democrats said they would do the same.