CDC advisers’ vote to put COVID shots on ‘vaccine schedule’ ignites new fight in midterm campaigns
(Worthy News) – The recent federal endorsement of COVID-19 vaccines for children won’t turn into school mandates overnight, but the routine decision has injected a fiery new debate into late-October campaigning.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and an assortment of others agree that a unanimous advisory panel recommendation to add COVID-19 shots to the 2023 immunization schedule won’t make the vaccine mandatory for children to attend school — unless a state decrees it so.
Republican candidates, especially those trailing in polls, are seizing on the vote as an issue of “medical freedom.” The uproar, more than anything else, raises questions about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s aptitude for heading off political controversy 2½ years into the pandemic. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]
Pfizer: COVID-19 vaccine will cost $110-$130 per dose
Pfizer will charge $110 to $130 for a dose of its COVID-19 vaccine once the U.S. government stops buying the shots, but the drugmaker says it expects many people will continue receiving it for free.
Pfizer executives said the commercial pricing for adult doses could start early next year, depending on when the government phases out its program of buying and distributing the shots.
The drugmaker said it expects that people with private health insurance or coverage through public programs like Medicare or Medicaid will pay nothing. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover many recommended vaccines without charging any out-of-pocket expenses. [ Source (Read More…) ]