Associated Press
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women.
In a 58-second video posted on the social media site X, Kennedy said he removed COVID-19 shots from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for those groups. No one from the CDC was in the video, and CDC officials referred questions about the announcement to Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
U.S. health officials, following recommendations by infectious disease experts, have been urging annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.
A CDC advisory panel is set to meets in June to make recommendations about the fall shots. Among its options are suggesting shots for high-risk groups but still giving lower-risk people the choice to get vaccinated.
But Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine advocate before becoming health secretary, decided not to wait. He said that annual COVID-19 booster shots have been recommended for kids “despite the lack of any clinical data” to support that decision.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Jay Battacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health, appeared in the video with Kennedy.
Kennedy and other Trump administration appointees have been moving to narrow COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and added restrictions to a recent vaccine approval. Last week, the FDA announced routine COVID-19 vaccine approvals will be limited to seniors and younger people with underlying medical risks, pending new research for healthy adults and children.
HHS officials did not immediately respond to questions about why Kennedy decided to take the step now or release additional information about what went into the decision.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
One comment
Victoria Olson
May 28, 2025 at 6:58 pm
I would not listen to this LUNATIC who is not a scientist or Doctor. Neither Doctor listed with Kennedy does NOT specialize on Disease or vaccines google them. The following is info from the CDC.
This Importance of staying up to date
Getting the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine is important because:
Protection from the COVID-19 vaccine decreases with time.
Immunity after COVID-19 infection decreases with time.
COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.
Getting the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you:
Never received a COVID-19 vaccine
Are ages 65 years and older
Are at high risk for severe COVID-19
Are living in a long-term care facility
Are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.
Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID
Keep in mind
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer, more reliable way to build protection than getting sick with COVID-19.
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