Many readers expressed outrage that their access to safe, effective and approved vaccines could be threatened by the incoming administration, as I detailed in my recent column.

Quite a few wanted to know whether they should get their vaccines while they still can. “I am a federal employee,” wrote Erica from Virginia. “My current health-care plan says that vaccines will continue to be covered at no cost for 2025. Should I try to get any and all boosters I am eligible for before Jan. 20?”

It is certainly possible that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be Health and Human Services secretary, will move to restrict vaccine access. A likely first target is the coronavirus vaccine. Kennedy could instruct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remove the shot from its recommended list of vaccines, which would mean insurers no longer have to cover it.

This will not happen on Inauguration Day. At the very least, Kennedy still has to be confirmed by the Senate. Still, I think it’s prudent for everyone to discuss with their primary-care providers now what vaccines they are eligible for.

People who have not yet received this year’s flu and coronavirus shots should do so, especially if they are 65 and older or have serious chronic medical conditions. Those eligible for additional vaccines against shingles, pneumococcal pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) should also consider getting them before any policies change.

“I have worked at the National Institutes of Health for more than 20 years,” John from Maryland wrote. “Your readers may want to know that the NIH funds vaccine research and development. If these funds are removed or diverted, it would be a huge setback to vaccine science. Not to mention career scientists will leave and not come back to government.”

Thank you for your service, John, and for raising this important point. A recent analysis found that the NIH disbursed more than $4 billion to fund research for vaccines and treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic. If Kennedy is confirmed and he makes good on his promise to stop funding infectious diseases research for eight years, the consequences would be staggering. The United States would be woefully unprepared for future pandemics, and some of our greatest scientific minds and most dedicated public servants would be forced out of their jobs.

Carla from D.C. raises another great point: The United States has been a leader in the world when it comes to medical and public health research. “The world is watching us with dismay and concern,” she wrote. “If vaccine-preventable diseases come back with America as the epicenter, what credibility will we have in global health leadership in the future?”

Carla’s question hits close to home. Public health leaders around the world have been closely tracking our bird flu situation and are already worried by what they see as a sluggish and incomplete response. The situation is worsening; this week, California health authorities reported that a child there has contracted bird flu. This is the first pediatric case in the United States, and it’s not clear how the child contracted the virus, suggesting either human-to-human transmission or another unknown vector spreading the disease.

Moreover, recall that in 2020, Trump as president notified the World Health Organization that the United States would withdraw its membership. President Joe Biden reversed this decision, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump goes back to an isolationist posture on global health.

“You said that you strive to be fair in your journalism, but, so far, I’ve seen you cover only the negative things that RFK Jr. could do,” wrote Michael from Pennsylvania. “He has said that he wants to make school lunches healthy and end childhood obesity. Surely, these are goals we can all agree to.”

There is a lot about the second Trump administration that concerns me. There is also a lot that I could get behind. I will look for opportunities to work toward common ground. After all, health should not be a partisan issue. Everyone wants their family to be healthy, safe and well.