logo
episode-header-image
Sep 3
11m 14s

Here are your COVID vaccine questions an...

NPR
About this episode
The one thing certain about the COVID vaccine right now is that everything about it is changing.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the next round of COVID-19 vaccines for the fall season, but it significantly changed who can get it.

The move comes amidst a broader effort by the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to change policy and guidance around many vaccines.

At this point — we’re guessing you have lots of questions about vaccination in general, but especially around COVID shots.

That’s why we asked our NPR listeners to submit their questions about the FDA’s new COVID vaccine guidance.

UCSF infectious disease doctor Dr. Peter Chin-Hong answered your questions.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Courtney Dorning.

Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
A week into the shutdown, federal workers are stuck in limbo
It's been a week since a federal shutdown ground work at numerous government agencies to a halt. There's no indication that an agreement could come soon, as Republicans and Democrats in congress trade continue blame. Meanwhile, federal workers are stuck in limbo, and its unclear ... Show More
7m 50s
Oct 7
The National Guard arrives in Chicago. What now?
The clock is ticking for Chicago and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.President Trump has deployed the National Guard to the country’s third largest city, and he says they’ll begin operations no later than Wednesday.Pritzker, a democrat, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are fightin ... Show More
9m 20s
Oct 6
Trump calls cartels terrorists. Is that enough to go to war?
Nearly a quarter century after the September 11th attacks, the Trump administration is using the language of terrorism to target a new enemy: Latin American drug cartels.The president says we’re in armed conflict with drug cartels.We talk to a Bush-era lawyer who says the powers ... Show More
9m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
RFK Jr.'s New Vaccine Advisors Signal Big Changes
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Policy, an influential CDC committee that shapes U.S. vaccine policy, has become a flashpoint in recent weeks. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members and replaced them with 7 new members — many of whom do not have dee ... Show More
13m 33s
Jun 2025
Information Inoculation: Why we need to fight misinformation about vaccines | TED Health
Ethan Lindenberger never got vaccinated as a kid. So one day, he went on Reddit and asked a simple question: "Where do I go to get vaccinated?" The post went viral, landing Lindenberger in the middle of a heated debate about vaccination and, ultimately, in front of a US Senate co ... Show More
45m 39s
Apr 2021
Vaccine passports, explained | Recode Daily
One way that America can get “back to normal” is through what's called a digital vaccine passport. America is well underway with its covid vaccination rollout and while we still have a long way to go, more and more people are getting vaccinated. But while carrying a digital vacci ... Show More
8m 28s
Sep 9
The FDA Commissioner on Vaccines and Public Trust
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary discusses the recent decision to approve updated Covid-19 vaccines for a smaller population. In an interview with host Ryan Knutson, Makary also discusses his thoughts on restoring confidence in public health policy and e ... Show More
24m 45s
Aug 5
VACCINES: HONEST ANSWERS with Dr Joel Warsh
Pediatrician Dr Joel Gator Warsh who also holds and MS in epidemiology joins Jillian to have a deep thoughtful nuanced discussion about vaccines. Dr Warsh presents ALL the research and evidence behind each vaccine on the CDC schedule. He tackles the Covid shot debate head on. We ... Show More
1h 23m
Sep 22
RFK Jr.'s vaccine dream team
Noted vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced a key board of vaccine advisers at the CDC. After a chaotic meeting, they just handed down their first set of new recommendations. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen and Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact- ... Show More
26m 10s
Feb 2025
The Anti-Vaccine Movement
The alleged link between vaccines and autism was first published in 1998, in a since-retracted study in medical journal The Lancet. The claim has been repeatedly disproven: there is no evidence that vaccines and autism are related. But by the mid-2000s, the myth was out there, an ... Show More
48m 48s
Sep 8
Marsquakes, Vaccine Politics and Mammoth Microbiomes
This week’s roundup dives into Mars’s lumpy mantle, a nasal spray that may help prevent COVID and the growing confusion around vaccine access in the U.S. Plus, researchers link phone use while on the toilet to hemorrhoid risk, uncover ancient mammoth microbiomes and explain why s ... Show More
9m 45s
Feb 2025
Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Guest: 'Just the Inserts' | Ep 80
Do vaccines cause autism? That's the million-dollar question. On today's episode, Liz Wheeler interviews "Just the Inserts" about whether or not vaccines actually cause autism. The two go over what they hope to see from the Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. ... Show More
58m 14s