1. United States
2. Conn.
3. Letter

The news about the FDA/CDC's decisions on severely limiting who will have access to COVID vaccines is extremely troubling and will directly result in the unnecessary deaths of Americans. As COVID infections continue to harm public health during this ongoing pandemic, scientific evidence clearly indicates that vaccines remain one of the most important tools for addressing SARS-CoV-2. Universal access to updated COVID vaccines is needed to address the ongoing changes in variants. Additionally, vaccines must be recommended for individuals of all ages and be fully covered by public funds/or insurance at a regular interval of at least every six months. The vaccine schedule should address waning efficacy in the months following vaccination [1-3] as well as the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 strains. FDA decisions will affect the current and future vaccine approach, including what healthcare providers recommend, what health insurance covers, and level of public engagement. Restricting access to these vaccinations, at any level, neglects the responsibility to protect everyone, as anyone is vulnerable to a COVID infection that could lead to severe health outcomes or Long COVID. Given that there is the potential to update the vaccines to better match perpetually emerging variants, updates to all vaccine types are needed, and ensuring access to all options made by all three manufacturers is very important. In addition, the FDA must continue to support vaccine options in addition to injection, such as through liquids, pills, or nasal sprays. Any recommendations that regard who or when access is available to these vaccines are barriers for vulnerable people and discourage high risk people from getting needed vaccine boosters. The FDA must not only ensure the viral variants are addressed by the COVID vaccine, but also provide recommendations that anticipate the next dominant strain in the next six months. This requires that the FDA ensure manufacturers match the variant with future variants. The FDA must support equitable and affordable access to updated vaccines and address access limitations due to financial and demographic constraints by advocating for programs such as the now defunct CDC bridge program that ensured no-cost access to vaccines. [4] As Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner of the FDA, has demonstrated support for advisory committees, we seek accountability for his words and request that he listen to the needs of the public and base decisions not on short-term financial or economic analyses, but long-term outcomes of public welfare.