WASHINGTON — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. changed the federal government’s recommendation for the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, saying healthy children and healthy pregnant people no longer need to get it.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who had to broker several deals with Republican senators to secure confirmation, didn’t explain why he was making the change in a brief video.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” Kennedy said. “Last year the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children.”
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin A. Makary both spoke briefly during the social media video to say they supported the decision. But neither pointed to new studies regarding COVID-19 boosters or any evidence of safety issues.
“It’s common sense and it’s good science,” Bhattacharya said.
Kennedy made several promises to Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy — chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee — in order to secure Cassidy’s vote so that Kennedy could be confirmed as HHS secretary.
Among those was that Kennedy would “maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee on immunization practices recommendations without changes.”
Cassidy’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
‘Extremely disappointed’
Public health organizations raised concerns about the change in policy.
Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the organization was “concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement that HHS will no longer recommend COVID vaccination during pregnancy.”
“As ob-gyns who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how dangerous COVID infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection,” Fleischman wrote. “We also understand that despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the science has not changed.
“It is very clear that COVID infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families. The COVID vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants.”
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, wrote in a statement HHS’ “decision bypasses a long-established, evidence-based process used to ensure vaccine safety and ignores the expertise of independent medical experts, including members of CDC committees who are examining the evidence regarding the vaccine to make recommendations for the fall.”
“By removing the recommendation, the decision could strip families of choice,” O’Leary wrote. “Those who want to vaccinate may no longer be able to, as the implications for insurance coverage remain unclear. It’s also unclear whether health care workers would be eligible to be vaccinated.”
“What is clear is that pregnant women, infants and young children are at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID, and the safety of the COVID vaccine has been widely demonstrated.”
Former surgeon general under Trump critical
Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general during Trump’s first administration, wrote in a detailed social media post that Kennedy’s announcement “raises significant concerns, as it overlooks both available evidence, and the complexities of public health.”
“Shifting from vaccine mandates to outright prohibitions does not reflect medical freedom; it represents a different form of government intervention, one that restricts individual choice and access to evidence-based care,” Adams wrote. “A balanced approach would prioritize informed decision-making, ensuring that vaccines remain available to those who need them while respecting personal autonomy.
“Hoping as this policy change is implemented, anyone who is truly high risk can still easily get a vaccine, and that we don’t let politics trump science, health, and previous proclamations about ‘personal choice.’”
American Public Health Association Executive Director Dr. Georges C Benjamin wrote in a statement that “(v)accines offer the best protection from severe symptoms and death associated with the COVID-19 virus for all populations.
“This decision by Secretary Kennedy puts kids, pregnant moms and their babies at risk of unnecessary suffering that is preventable. Lots of questions remain as to how HHS leadership plans to implement this poorly thought out announcement that is not supported by the scientific evidence and our national experience.”
An HHS press secretary wrote in an email to States Newsroom that “as part of the Trump administration’s commitment to common sense, the COVID-19 vaccine will be removed from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.”
“With the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, it is time to move forward,” the spokesperson wrote. “HHS and the CDC remain committed to gold standard science and to ensuring the health and well-being of all Americans—especially our nation’s children—using common sense.”
This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
Jennifer Shutt covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.
