Overview

• Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos stepped down as co-leader of the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine working group, citing her inability to protect the most vulnerable.
• Her resignation came one week after Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, excluded COVID-19 shots for healthy children and pregnant women from the agency’s recommended schedule.
• Two days after Kennedy’s announcement, the CDC posted an online immunization chart stating COVID-19 vaccines remain an optional choice for children aged six months to 17 years when advised by parents and doctors.
• The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has not yet voted on the revised guidance and is set to meet June 25–27 to deliberate and vote on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
• The CDC is operating without a permanent director as it faces scrutiny over its vaccine policy decisions.