vaccination a personal choice, is a hero.

among healthy people under age 65.Until now, the U.S. — following guidance from independent experts who advise the CDC — has recommended yearly COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone age 6 months and older.

Together, the moves have left health experts, vaccine makers and insurers uncertain about what to advise and what comes next.“It’s going to add a lot of confusion overall,” said Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Some of this season’s vaccine is still available. Insurance industry experts say if people had insurance coverage before Kennedy’s announcement, it’s highly unlikely that would have ended instantly based on the secretary’s video announcement. That means if someone could find a shot, they’d likely be able to get one for now.

Who will be able to get what vaccines this fall is still unclear.Vaccine manufacturers plan to issue updated COVID-19 shots in the late summer or fall. But the Food and Drug Administration has said it plans to limit approval of seasonal shots to seniors and others at high risk, pending more studies of everyone else.

Even if the U.S. approves vaccines only for certain groups, it still may be possible for others to get the shot depending on the outcome of upcoming advisory meetings, regulatory moves and decisions from insurers and employers.

Insurers base coverage decisions on the recommendations of that CDC panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. It’s not clear what role that panel now will play. Paying out of pocket could cost about $200.Down the street, Amish workers from Pennsylvania pieced together a mold before pouring a new reinforced foundation for the Broad River Inn, among the oldest businesses in town. The river undermined the back end and obliterated the neighboring miniature golf course.

Amish volunteers from Pennsylvania rebuild a deck along the banks of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village, N.C., on Monday, May 19, 2025. (Shelly McCormack via AP)Amish volunteers from Pennsylvania rebuild a deck along the banks of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village, N.C., on Monday, May 19, 2025. (Shelly McCormack via AP)

“We definitely could not have done what we’re doing without them, that is for certain,” inn co-owner Kristen Sottile said. “They have brought so much willpower, hope, as well as many other things to our community.”The Amish are working in concert with Spokes of Hope, a Christian nonprofit formed in the aftermath of