The recent changes around vaccine recommendations can be confusing. That’s why we created a guide for Indiana patients.
Please note that this information was last updated on Sept. 12, 2025.
What are the changes this year for COVID-19 vaccines?
Previously, COVID-19 vaccines were available to anyone 6 months or older. The vaccine protects people from severe illness, and lowers the risk of hospitalization and death.
Now, the Trump administration is restricting eligibility for the next round of shots.
For fall 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are 65 and older. Outside of that age range, some children and adults are eligible if they have a medical condition that puts them at risk for serious infections.
Back in May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also removed the COVID-19 vaccine from the recommended immunization schedules for healthy pregnant women and children. As a result, insurance companies may no longer be required to provide free vaccines to those groups unless they have an underlying condition or, in some cases, a doctor’s recommendation.
What are doctors saying?
The policy changes sparked swift condemnation from medical groups across the country. The American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, opposed the CDC, and the groups recommended the previous guidelines: that everyone 6 months or older, including pregnant people, should get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Many health officials in Indianapolis agree.
“I am recommending people follow other medical organizations at this point,” said Shandy Dearth, an epidemiologist from the Richard Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indianapolis. “The science hasn’t changed, even though the CDC recommendations have.”
Who is eligible?
In addition to older adults, people with conditions such as diabetes, obesity, substance use disorders, depression and chronic diseases can get the COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnancy is also included on the CDC’s list of medical conditions and risk factors for serious cases of COVID-19.
But that list could change on Sept. 18 and 19, when the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meets to vote on federal vaccine recommendations.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly made false claims about vaccines. In June, he abruptly fired all members of the committee and began appointing some vaccine skeptics in their place.
That’s why Dearth recommends talking to your doctor about eligibility.
“That list is pretty long, so if you talk to your physician you’re more likely to get (the vaccine),” she said. “But it can change. I recommend calling sooner rather than later.”
What if I don’t have a primary care doctor?
Call your insurance provider or local public health department.
The Marion County Public Health Department, for example, runs free vaccine clinics every year. The agency confirmed COVID-19 vaccines will be available in Indianapolis to those 65 and older and people with medical conditions.
“It is not clear at this time what access adults with no high-risk condition will have to the vaccine and if it would get covered by insurance,” spokesperson Curt Brantingham wrote in a Sept. 10 email to Mirror Indy.
Through a federal program, the health department also provides vaccines for children who do not have insurance or are on Medicaid.
But this year, Marion County is waiting on the CDC’s guidance before giving children the COVID-19 vaccine through the program.
“(We) cannot provide the vaccine until after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issues its recommendations,” Brantingham wrote.
How do I get the COVID-19 vaccine? What if I don’t fall within the approved groups?
Some pharmacies, such as Walgreens, now require Indiana patients to have a prescription to receive the vaccine.
Currently, CVS is not requiring a prescription. Patients who schedule an appointment online can check a box saying they are eligible for the vaccine.
“CVS is not asking for any proof,” said Dearth, the epidemiologist. “It’s all self-reporting.”
The Marion County Public Health Department will also not require patients to verify their medical conditions, Brantingham said, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.
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