As reported by NBC News on August 27, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the next round of COVID-19 vaccines for fall 2025. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., those shots will be available for a smaller, high-risk group of people which includes adults 65 and older as well as kids and adults with at least one medical condition that puts them at risk of severe illness. Prior to this change, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended COVID-19 shots for everyone six months and older.
In a related occurrence, CDC Director Susan Monarez, has been fired and other top CDC officials have resigned. CDC officials who have resigned include: Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Jen Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology
Dr. Monarez did not last a month in her position.
For more on the new COVID-19 guidelines from NBC News, click here.
For more from NBC News on the CDC shakeup, click here.