The vaccine advisers previously recommended COVID vaccines broadly to anyone 6 months and older, and without many restrictions. How is this recommendation different from CDC guidance on COVID shots in the past and for most other vaccines? In the past, the COVID vaccine “was encouraged as a routine recommendation,” says Jen Kates, director of global health and HIV policy at KFF, a nonpartisan health policy org. Still, in states where officials are skeptical about COVID vaccines, the shots may remain difficult to get in pharmacies. Yes, the FDA approved the COVID vaccine for children, though only for children with risk factors for serious complications.