I will be frank- Covid is still circulating and still killing people, including children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) 194 people died of covid weekly in August 2025. Of course this number is highly suspect as many states stopped reporting covid deaths. I suspect that the true number is higher.
To many people, covid is dead and none of the protections need to happen anymore.
Vaccine? Yeah, I got one three years ago and then I stopped getting them.
Yeah, I got covid four times last year but I’m okay.
Other people are not okay after getting covid-19.
To think that covid no longer affects the US or you is highly privileged. This means it hasn’t affected you personally YET.
I think that a lot of the conversations about covid are missing the qualifier “YET”.
I think you mean to say that covid hasn’t given you long covid symptoms YET. I think you mean to say that you got the first vaccine series and don’t think you can get covid YET. I think you mean to say that covid hasn’t impacted or killed your child YET.
See how easy that was?
The CDC finally came out with its covid recommendations in the beginning of June. The recommendations are for adults 18-65 to have an optional covid vaccine but for those over 65 it is highly recommended. They said that they were not recommending the covid vaccine to children or to pregnant women.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said “Bet” and did not change their vaccine recommendations to reflect what the CDC says. The AAP recommends the covid vaccine to children over the age of 6 months. In order to decrease the likelihood of serious illness and covid complications.
Because, and I cannot shout this enough, covid is still out there and still killing.
The most current FDA recommendation is that adults greater than 65 years of age continue to get the vaccine. The vaccine is not recommended for anyone under the age of 65 unless you have one medical condition that puts them at higher risk of a serious covid complication.
But, Kate, that is awfully vague, what kind of medical conditions?
The list I pulled from the FDA website was cancer, obesity defined as BMI greater than or equal to 20, or greater than the 95th percentile in children, diabetes I and diabetes II, asthma, cerebral vascular disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, chronic liver disease, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, mental health conditions, dementia and Parkinson’s, physical inactivity, pregnancy, smokers current and former, TB, those who have had a solid organ or stem cell transplant, use of corticosteroids such as prednisone, and being unvaccinated or not up to date on your vaccinations (interesting). This is not an exhaustive list.
The point is you are going to have to fight and justify your need for the covid vaccine if you under 65. If you can find one, if you can afford it. But that’s an issue for another day.
I think they are playing Russian roulette with people’s lives. Especially children who are still growing and don’t have the mature respiratory system.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 