Recommendations of the Editorial team
While access to COVID-19 vaccines has been increasingly restricted in recent months, concern is growing whether the Trump government will continue one step further and could completely forbid the vaccines.
Could the Trump government ban Covid vaccines?
These fears were fueled by an article of August 25th in the “Daily Beast”. In it the British cardiologist Dr. Asseem Malhotra-chief advisor to the Make America Health Again Action and ally of Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-that the government will take the Covid vaccines “within a few months” from the US market. Even if the article was largely dismissed as a baseless rumor, it increased the idea that the vaccinations could soon no longer be available. And the most recent chaos in the CDC – from Kennedy’s attempt to fire the director, to a wave from resignations to vandalism against RFK Jr. – is not exactly strengthening trust in the ability of the authority to regulate vaccines.
A ban would imagine many as an abrupt step of Kennedy or FDA boss Marty Makary. However, restrictions can also be gradually carried out – and this process has already started.
In May, the FDA recommended that COVID-19 vaccinations and annual refreshing should only be available for people aged 65 and over and for certain risk groups such as asthmatics, diabetics or overweight people. A little later, Kennedy announced that the covid vaccine will be deleted from the recommended vaccination plan for healthy children and pregnant women.
At the beginning of August, he also stroked $ 500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines-a clear signal that the government has given up the technology that Donald Trump once described as “monumental national achievement”.
Possible measures of the FDA
If the CDC acip meets in October, the newly appointed vaccine -critical members could decide additional restrictions. “They test the system for weak points,” says Paul Offit, head of the Vaccine Education Center in Philadelphia.
According to the lawyer Ana Santos Rutschman (Villanova University), the FDA could make approval more difficult, for example by stricter guidelines who can administer the vaccinations, or through restrictions to certain locations. She could also rely on alleged security risks.
“In this context, a ban means withdrawing the market approval,” explains Rutschman. This is rare, but not excluded-a chikungunya vaccination was recently stopped for security reasons.
Although manufacturers had a right to hearing and could complain, Kennedy could also have a suspension himself if he claims an “immediate danger to public health”. However, this would have little chance in court.
So far, the Trump government has not announced an official ban on vaccine. The White House refused to comment.
Consequences for public health
A ban or drastic restrictions would be a massive setback, says virologist James Alwine from the Defend Public Health network. The immunity of the population would disappear that virus multiply millions of times, new variants-possibly more dangerous, with more long-covid cases.
In addition, research would be massively disabled. Older, sick people, migrants and arms would be particularly at risk. “Kennedy brings us back to a time when infectious diseases revive,” said Alwine.
Should you be vaccinated now?
Offit denies whether you have to hurry: “Get vaccination if you would normally get it.”
The updated vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax for 2025/26 are FDA and in sales from the end of August. But access could be limited regionally or for uninsured persons.
Ultimately, officer sees a possible ban realistically: “Kennedy has described the covid vaccination as ‘deadliest vaccine ever’. He is a fanatic-so strap on.”