The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday recommended COVID-19 vaccines should be administered only through a shared decision of a healthcare provider and the individual, moving away from a broader backing for the shot.
The new recommendation, which aligns with that of its panel of outside experts, maintains access for the shot through health insurance.
The acting director of the CDC also signed off on its advisers' recommendations against use of the combined measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine before the age of 4 years. Instead, separate shots will be given for measles-mumps-rubella and varicella, commonly known as chickenpox.
The immunization schedules will be updated on the CDC website by Tuesday, the agency said.