By Harshit | October 9, 2025 | Durham, North Carolina | 2:00 AM EDT
A Struggle to Protect the Vulnerable
Valerie Brickey spent the last week of September driving between pharmacies and calling her granddaughter’s pediatrician in search of a Covid-19 vaccine. Her 16-year-old granddaughter, Ryleigh, suffers from a nerve disorder that causes seizures as well as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that disrupts blood pressure regulation. Both live together in a small apartment near Durham, North Carolina, and both are medically vulnerable to severe Covid illness.
“I knew the Covid numbers were going up,” Brickey said, noting she keeps track of local wastewater data. “We couldn’t afford to wait.”
But despite her efforts, Brickey was told at every turn that Ryleigh’s vaccine wasn’t available — unless she paid $368 out of pocket. “If I could afford $368, she wouldn’t be on Medicaid,” Brickey said.
Why Medicaid Kids Were Left Out
Like millions of U.S. children covered by Medicaid, Ryleigh is eligible for free vaccines through the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Typically, the process is seamless. Parents rarely notice they are benefiting because pediatricians and health departments automatically provide routine shots free of charge.
This fall, however, families across several states were blindsided. Covid-19 vaccines were not yet available through the VFC program because the CDC had not formally added them to the schedule. Doctors and clinics could not order doses until late September, weeks after school resumed and Covid cases began climbing again.
The disruption left many low-income families without access, while privately insured children could receive vaccines without delay.
Policy Turmoil at the CDC
The delay stemmed from political turmoil. In June, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee and replaced them with his own appointees, several of whom have questioned the safety of mRNA Covid vaccines.
That committee, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), was scheduled to vote on recommendations in June. Instead, the vote was postponed until mid-September, leaving states unable to order Covid vaccines for Medicaid-covered kids until this week.
The leadership shakeup also triggered resignations across the CDC, including Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of the agency’s immunization division. “Children who use VFC have been deprived of the updated vaccine for weeks,” he wrote Monday on social media. “That means privately insured kids had access while un- or underinsured kids did not.”
Families Caught in the Middle
For Brickey, the delay has felt personal. Ryleigh already misses school frequently due to her health conditions. “She’s on heart medication, and you don’t need to put any more stressors on your body when you’re dealing with POTS,” Brickey said. “She’s got enough to deal with.”
Brickey herself is also high-risk. Two years ago, a bout of sepsis left her hospitalized for a month and relearning how to walk. With diabetes and weakened immunity, she fears what might happen if Ryleigh brought Covid home from school. “We both need to be protected,” she said.
Yet when Brickey took her granddaughter for a flu shot on September 28, the pharmacy told her that a Covid vaccine wasn’t available unless she paid cash.
States Scramble After CDC Decision
State health departments are now racing to catch up. North Carolina officials said this week they are working with providers to ensure Medicaid families can access vaccines without cost. The CDC confirmed that its updated recommendations now allow children 6 months and older to receive Covid vaccines through the VFC program, following a shared decision-making conversation with a provider.
Still, the lost weeks have already created inequities. According to CDC estimates, the delay cost the nation 35 million opportunities to co-administer flu and Covid vaccines in September.
Looking Ahead
For families like the Brickeys, the hope is that the system stabilizes before the virus spreads further this fall. Ryleigh remains unvaccinated for now, though her pediatrician’s office has assured the family they will order doses as soon as state shipments arrive.
Until then, Brickey remains anxious. “I’m doing everything I can,” she said. “But it feels like the system forgot about kids like my granddaughter.”
