Will COVID vaccines still be available in Illinois as federal guidelines change?
At the same time a new COVID variant has been reported in the U.S., residents of Illinois and across the nation will likely have reduced access to vaccines this year.
The new variant, NB.1.8.1, is being referred to as “Nimbus” and is a subvariant of an earlier omicron iteration of the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 37% of the country’s COVID cases for the two-week period ending June 7 were of the Nimbus variant, though the federal organization also reports the “precision” for that reporting period is low, and the reporting process is changing to provide more reliable data.
The available data does not currently portray the Nimbus variant as more transmissible than its predecessors, but it does have more of a predilection for human cells, Dr. Vidya Sundareshan, infectious diseases specialist at Southern Illinois University Medicine and medical advisor to Sangamon County Health Department, said in a June 11 interview with the News-Democrat.
A virus’ tropism, or affinity for a specific species, often changes as it mutates.
“We see that a lot with influenza. For example, the H5N1 has more tropism for birds and cattle, less so for humans,” Sundareshan said.
Illinois Department of Public Health spokesperson Mike Claffey wrote in a June 6 email to the News-Democrat the Nimbus variant had not yet been detected in the state.
The CDC’s COVID variant proportion data is not currently available by region or state, but it does show the proportion of Nimbus cases in the U.S. is increasing.
How is vaccine availability changing?
U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who has made false claims about vaccine side effects, recently dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the CDC.
The Associated Press reported June 12 the new appointees include a board member of an organization that’s “widely considered to be a leading source of vaccine misinformation,” as well as a doctor who’s promoted conspiracy theories and others many doctors have expressed concern about serving on the committee.
Federal health officials announced May 27 the COVID vaccine would no longer be recommended for healthy pregnant people or children. NPR reports the decision to limit the guidance was “apparently made without the usual input from independent outside advisers.”
Insurance company officials often make decisions about what vaccinations will be covered based on federal guidelines, so pregnant people and children will likely lose access to COVID vaccines unless they can afford to pay for them out-of-pocket.
“We do see that within pregnancy, they are susceptible to more severe disease for COVID, as well as influenza,” Sundareshan said. “So that group particularly, there is a lot of concern in terms of ‘how are we going to cover for them?’ Because this vaccine is important for them if they haven’t received it.”
Young infants are also at a higher risk of severe COVID infections, the CDC reports.
“Pharmacies are already saying that it’s probably not going to be as available as we used to have it,” Sundareshan said.
St. Clair County Health Department spokesperson Brenda Fedak said in a June 20 email to the News-Democrat COVID vaccines are not currently available at the agency since “we are technically out of the 2024-2025 Flu/COVID season.”
As far as health department officials know, they plan to offer COVID vaccines again during the 2025-26 influenza and COVID season, Fedak continued.
The 2024-25 COVID vaccine is available at all CVS Pharmacy locations in the U.S., company spokesperson Amy Thibault confirmed.
“We’ll continue to offer to eligible patients until an updated vaccine is released,” Thibault said.
The BND also contacted Walgreens officials to ask about COVID vaccine availability.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have picked a new COVID strain they would like vaccine manufacturers to target an updated shot on, but a new FDA rule may mean the change will limit access to the vaccine for some Americans, NBC News reported May 23.
The new FDA rule requires any new COVID vaccine to undergo placebo-based clinical trials, but smaller studies would be accepted to roll out the shot for adults age 65 and older, as well as children or adults with a medical condition that puts them at risk of severe illness. People in these demographics are expected to still have access to the new shot, if and when it is available.
The annual shots will no longer be routinely approved for healthy children and adults, federal officials said in May. Currently, the CDC still lists the COVID vaccine in its recommended immunization schedule for adults.
Peak COVID vaccine effectiveness at preventing death is more than 90%, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine. Effectiveness wanes over time, and boosters help increase protection against death.
“We’re still seeing quite a lot of deaths from COVID. So, that is something that is very worrisome, especially with the access issues, which we fought so hard to try to build,” Sundareshan said.
Illinois health officials continue to regularly report COVID deaths. The CDC reports Illinois had 11 weekly COVID deaths April 26, the most recent date for which specific data is available, and reports the state had between one and nine COVID deaths the week of June 7.
“Vaccines are so effective, such a great way to prevent disease. Changes in that landscape will definitely affect what’s going on in the hospitals, what’s going on in the communities,” Sundareshan said. “And mortality is really what we need to watch for, hospitalization is something we need to watch for. And our vulnerable populations, which can get sicker than anyone else, we need to protect them.”
The CDC reports the cumulative number of COVID deaths reported in Illinois is 43,273 as of June 7. The national COVID hospitalization rate is 0.5% June 7, compared to 4.2% in January.
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