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3w ago

HHS Removes COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation for Healthy Children and Pregnant Women

By bypassing the CDC’s advisory panel, the decision raises questions over whether insurers will continue covering the shots

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, testifies in front of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025.
Changes are coming to the way Covid-19 vaccines are approved, and for whom.
A tray of COVID-19 vaccines is seen at the Kaiser Permanente adult vaccine clinic in San Francisco in September.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., looks on as he testifies before a Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies on May 20, 2025.

Overview

  • Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on May 27 that routine COVID-19 vaccination is no longer advised for healthy children and pregnant women without CDC Advisory Committee input
  • The CDC’s website continues to list those groups as vulnerable, creating a mismatch between federal guidance and online information
  • Medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics sharply criticized the move, citing evidence that vaccination lowers severe illness risks for mothers, infants and young children
  • The FDA recently proposed that new COVID-19 vaccines for low-risk populations undergo full placebo-controlled clinical trials, a requirement not imposed on high-risk groups
  • Experts warn that conflicting federal directives and unclear insurance coverage could reduce vaccine access and uptake among vulnerable and low-income families