Vaccine confusion? 5 Minnesota questions, answered
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Minnesotans may be struggling to navigate a blizzard of state and federal news last week around vaccines and who should get them. It’s hard to keep up and, like trying to read the fine print on a medicine bottle late at night, it can be a little unnerving.
Here’s a look at five key questions tied to the recent news on vaccines, with answers that can help.
1) What did Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine advisory committee do?
With five new members, including vaccine critics, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices last week reversed its previously broad support for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Under the new guidelines, people older than 6 months of age, including adults 65 and older, can still get the COVID-19 vaccine. But the recommendation now includes language about discussing the pros and cons of the shot with a health care provider and the importance of “individual decision-making.”
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The language changes, which will guide policy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would still allow for insurance coverage of the COVID vaccine but they step back on prior guidance that encouraged people to head to the doctor’s office or pharmacy to get the latest shot.
2) What did the feds say about key vaccinations for young kids?
The federal advisory panel updated its guidance on vaccinations for children against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, or chickenpox. The panel no longer recommends the MMRV vaccine for children under the age of 4 due to concerns about rare occurrences of seizures.
Instead, the committee called for children in this age group to get separate vaccinations, one for MMR and another for chickenpox.
Committee members also postponed a vote on whether to discontinue administering the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns, although data indicate that the vaccine is safe and effective.
Dr. Andrea Singh, chair of the pediatrics department at Park Nicollet Clinics, said most major health systems in the state should have COVID and other vaccines available by mid-October.
Singh said she’s been having more conversations about shared decision-making and advises families to talk with their doctors.
3) How is Minnesota responding?
State officials are working to clarify vaccination recommendations and guidelines due to concerns that the federal government may restrict access to vaccines, especially the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Sept. 8, Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order instructing the Minnesota Department of Health to establish clear guidelines for the public and health care providers and ensure that vaccines remain accessible.
“The bottom line is as it’s always been and always should be, is that your doctor and your provider make the decisions on the vaccines you’re going to get that are safe, and we’re making sure that it stays as it’s always been,” Walz said Tuesday.
Minnesota Department of Health officials said the state will follow the science-based recommendations from the nation’s top professional medical associations.
Those groups “recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone 6 months and older, with strong recommendations for children under 2, pregnant people, those who are considered high risk groups, and for pediatrics,” said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, the state epidemiologist. It’s recommended especially for adults with high-risk conditions and those 65 and older, she added.
For expecting parents, the American College of Obstetrics reiterates the recommendation for pregnant and recently postpartum people to get the COVID vaccine to protect themselves from complications and young infants from infection.
Vaccines have been one of the most important public health tools available and people should take advantage of them, Lynfield said. “They have saved millions of lives. They’ve improved the quality of life for so many people, and we are lucky to have them available to us.”
Check out the Minnesota Health Department’s COVID vaccine website to learn more about the state’s approach or contact your clinic or pharmacy.
The decisions made last week by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices drew a rebuke from Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and its Vaccine Integrity Project.
The panel “no longer embodies the evidence-based vaccine policy approach that has served our nation well and helped to save lives,” he said in a statement as he urged people to look to medical societies for “data-based vaccine guidance and information.”
In the past, professional groups were largely in sync with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said Dr. Peter Bornstein, systems medical director of infection prevention for Fairview Health Services. “That consensus is broken, and that’s what you’re seeing. That’s why there’s confusion."
While no vaccine is risk free, Bornstein said that the benefits exceed whatever small risks, like fevers, are associated.
4) Where can Minnesotans get a COVID or flu vaccine?
To ensure that people have access to vaccines, the Minnesota Department of Health is giving pharmacists broad latitude to offer COVID-19 vaccination.
Lynfield said nearly half of Minnesotans get their vaccinations at pharmacies, although it’s up to the pharmacy to determine if they will operate under her new protocol. She suggested people check with their pharmacist.
5) Will insurers cover the cost?
Most likely but check with your insurance provider to be safe.
AHIP, the national trade association representing the health insurance industry, said last week that all CDC-recommended vaccines, including COVID and flu vaccines, will be covered through 2026. The Minnesota Department of Human Services said the same goes for patients with Medicaid, also known as Medical Assistance.
Most insurance plans cover 100 percent of the cost. For patients younger than 19 who do not have health insurance, the Vaccines for Children Program provides free or low-cost vaccines.
For adults age 19 years and older who do not have insurance or whose insurance does not cover vaccines, there are clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured adults.
Correction (Sept. 25, 2025): An earlier version of this story used an incorrect title for Dr. Peter Bornstein.
