Are You Eligible for the Covid Vaccine in 2025? Here’s What—and Whom—To Ask

After months of anticipation over how they might change, a new set of Covid vaccine guidelines have been set ahead of fall.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new round of Covid-19 booster shots and ended broad emergency use authorizations. This limits eligibility to the following:

• those over 65 
• younger individuals at high risk of severe illness

An August 27 post on X from U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. included the following:

“FDA has now issued marketing authorization for those at higher risk: Moderna (6+ months), Pfizer (5+), and Novavax (12+). These vaccines are available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.”

“Marketing authorization,” defined by the Department of Health and Human Services, “allows a therapy to be placed on the market … outside the research setting.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans under the age of 65 who have certain qualifying underlying conditions are eligible to get the new Covid booster, which targets the LP.8.1 omicron subvariant. These groups include:

• Cancer
• Cerebrovascular Disease
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Chronic Liver Disease
• Chronic Lung Disease
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Dementia and Other Neurological Conditions
• Diabetes
• Disabilities
• Heart Conditions
• Hemoglobin Blood Disorders
• HIV Infection
• Immunocompromised Condition or Weakened Immune System
• Mental Health Conditions
• Overweight or Obesity
• Physical Inactivity
• Pregnancy
• Smoking
• Solid Organ or Blood Stem Cell Transplant
• Substance Use Disorders
• Tuberculosis

At press time, a disclaimer on the CDC website acknowledges that Covid vaccine recommendations have been “recently updated for some populations” and notes that the page will soon reflect those changes. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet on September 18 to discuss the agency’s Covid shot recommendations. (Kennedy dismissed all 17 voting members of that panel in June and replaced them with his own appointees.)

For now, access to the Covid vaccine will vary by provider and state. While pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens are widely stocked with the vaccines, those in 13 states and the District of Columbia currently require prescriptions. Broad insurance coverage is still expected to be the norm, including for those on Medicare and Medicaid, Reuters reports. However, this could change as soon as January 2026 when insurers are expected to announce new annual benefits.

Critics, including past Trump administration advisers, say that these sweeping changes could make it harder than ever to get your hands on a Covid booster this fall if, indeed, you choose it. Some are further cautioning that low immunization rates could spike severe illness and hospitalizations, especially as new variants emerge and immunity from previous doses wanes.

The recent changes in policy, delayed recommendations by the CDC, and a lag in communication on the CDC website have sowed confusion and already prevented some from getting their shot. For instance, NBC News has reported that a pregnant woman in Florida—eligible according to the CDC’s published list—says she was turned away when she sought the vaccine at her local pharmacy. 

Speak with your doctor or healthcare provider to learn more about your own eligibility and routes to access. As our resident reporter and trained family physician Dr. Patricia Varacallo, DO, shared with our editors today, infectious disease experts are advising that Americans “consult their doctors and look to trusted organizations like the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which are still grounded in research.”

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