RFK Jr.'s CDC isn’t letting states order COVID-19 shots for kids, blocking access - Ars Technica

The CDC has unexpectedly delayed distributing this year's COVID-19 shots through the federal Vaccine for Children (VFC) program and to some states, leaving more than half of US children facing uncertain access as respiratory virus season approaches.
The VFC program normally provides free vaccines to children who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, or Indigenous, covering roughly 52 percent of all US children.
At least 11 states and one US territory—including Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming, and American Samoa—use a universal purchase program that buys all children's vaccines through VFC contracts, meaning the delay could block access for all children in those areas.
Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, warned that the VFC delay directly undermines those states' ability to obtain vaccines for children.
The Department of Health and Human Services, led by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the CDC "has not yet finalized procurement decisions" and declined to explain the delay, while suggesting officials were questioning whether children should receive the shot.
HHS stated it wants to ensure vaccines purchased through federally funded programs are "appropriate" for the populations served, language that signals ongoing scrutiny of childhood COVID-19 vaccination under the current administration.