As COVID hospitalizations rise on Long Island, what to know about new vaccination rules
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the COVID-19 vaccines are available “for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.” Credit: AP
Getting an updated COVID-19 vaccination this fall could be a very different experience for many people.
Instead of stopping by the pharmacy, people under the age of 65 without certain medical conditions could need to consult with their doctors before they can be vaccinated, at least according to a social media post U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made Wednesday. How that would be implemented was unclear, along with other questions.
It comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations and emergency room visits have risen in recent weeks across the United States and Long Island. In Nassau and Suffolk, people hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased from 25 in early July to 70 on Aug. 26. Additionally, top leadership at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were fired or resigned reportedly over vaccines.
Newsday spoke with Long Island infectious disease experts about the government’s latest moves on COVID vaccinations. Here's what we know.
What's it mean that the FDA rescinded the emergency authorization use for COVID-19 vaccines?
“Under emergency authorization, everyone is eligible and everyone can get it,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “When you stop emergency authorization, you put in rules and you get to write the rules…you can specify who can get the vaccine now.“
FDA officials said the emergency use authorization is no longer needed since there has been a sharp decline in hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 as well as widespread immunity that reduced severe outcomes among patients.
Who did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize to receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine?
In the past, federal health officials had recommended everyone 6 months and older should get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. That has changed under Kennedy, who has a history of vaccine skepticism.
The vaccines are now authorized for people at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. That includes people 65 and up, or younger people with at least one underlying health condition that puts them at higher risk.
Specifically, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved for those 5 and older, Moderna for 6 months and older and Novavax for 12 years of age and older.
Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health, said: “It's slowly chipping away at the ability of people to get COVID vaccines." He added that if the list of underlying health conditions remains as it is now, it could cover many people.
“Most people think that children should get at least one (COVID) vaccine,” he said. “They’re making that more difficult.”
What are the underlying health conditions?
The current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list of underlying health conditions that put a person at greater risk of getting severe illness from COVID-19 is lengthy, including everything from asthma and diabetes to obesity and depression.
Nachman said she is concerned that list could be trimmed, because some of the sickest patients early in the pandemic were young and healthy.
Will healthy people under 65 be able to get the vaccine?
In his post on X, Kennedy said the COVID-19 vaccines are available “for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.”
In response to criticism on the social media platform from some doctors, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary stated: “100% of adults in this country can still get the vaccine if they choose. We are not limiting availability to anyone.”
Kennedy and Makary did not elaborate. It’s unclear whether people will need a prescription from their doctor in order to get a vaccination. It also wasn’t stated how or if people with underlying health conditions will need to show some kind of proof or authorization before getting the vaccination.
Will insurance cover the vaccine?
It's still uncertain.
Insurance companies only are legally obligated to cover COVID-19 vaccine costs for CDC-recommended vaccines, Newsday has previously reported.
“What’s not clear is how these guidelines will affect the Vaccines for Children program which is responsible for payment for 50% of all vaccines for children in the United States and how other insurance companies will follow,” Farber said.
Farber said physicians can use medications and vaccines "off-label" -- unapproved by federal health officials -- but they may not be covered by health insurance.
What happens next?
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is set to meet in the coming weeks and make recommendations for the general public. Insurance companies generally follow ACIP recommendations when considering what to cover, Nachman said. In June, Kennedy fired members of the ACIP and filled the spots with appointees - some of whom also have skeptical views of vaccines.
In early June 2025, Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, claiming it was a "rubber stamp" for the vaccine industry and plagued by conflicts of interest, a claim not supported by public disclosures.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
