Emerging Long‑Term COVID Risks Clash With Trump Vaccine Rollbacks

CBS synthesizes recent peer‑reviewed and preprint research showing that SARS‑CoV‑2 infection can trigger serious long‑term health problems — from higher risks of autism, speech and motor delays and other neurodevelopmental issues in children exposed in utero, to accelerated infant weight gain tied to later metabolic and cardiovascular disease, possible awakening of dormant cancer cells, and signs of premature brain aging — even after mild cases. The article cites a November NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine estimate putting the global annual burden of COVID’s chronic health consequences at about $1 trillion and per‑patient U.S. costs near $9,000, with roughly $170 billion a year in lost earnings, compared with on‑the‑order‑of‑tens‑of‑billions for seasonal flu. Against that backdrop, it details how the Trump administration has sharply narrowed CDC recommendations for who should receive COVID vaccination, framed shots as a matter of "shared clinical decision‑making," and halted Biden‑era contracts for more protective next‑generation vaccines, moves critics say run directly counter to the science and risk higher long‑run health‑care and disability costs. HHS officials respond that vaccines remain available and insured and defend the guidance shift as restoring informed consent and avoiding one‑size‑fits‑all mandates, while epidemiologist Michael Osterholm warns that the virus’s chronic footprint on the U.S. population will be felt for years and justifies more, not less, surveillance and research funding.