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"The confusion around COVID vaccine recommendations and access in the fall of 2025 is reminiscent of the first months of 2021 when the vaccines first became available. Back then, most access barriers arose from logistical and supply-chain issues. Now, barriers have been created by HHS policy (or lack thereof) and a patchwork of laws in different states and jurisdictions that have created confusion about how people can legally access the vaccines. The confusion in 2021 felt familiar, relatively speaking, for journalists who have covered any vaccine rollout, which usually involves some hiccups and uncertainty. The new quagmire of COVID vaccine access is more challenging to cover because it’s a moving target, with circumstances changing by the day. Even the people who are supposed to know what’s going on — pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, physicians, and public health experts — aren’t sure what will happen next. All this uncertainty makes the role of journalists more crucial than ever in helping audiences decide whether they should get the new COVID vaccine and helping them understand the barriers they might encounter, why those barriers exist, and how, if possible, they can navigate them. These tips can help journalists deliver the information their audiences need now."