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