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HHS Stops Recommending COVID-19 Vaccines for Healthy Children and Pregnant Women

Experts say the unilateral decision bypassed CDC protocols, risking restricted vaccine access during an Asia surge of a new COVID-19 variant

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 healthy children and pregnant women will no longer appear on the CDC’s recommended COVID-19 immunization schedule.
  • The move circumvented the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, with Kennedy unveiling the change in a 58-second video on X without CDC or advisory panel sign-off.
  • Leading medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Infectious Diseases Society of America condemned the decision, highlighting elevated risks of severe illness and transmission for these groups.
  • Removing routine recommendations may allow insurers to drop coverage for shots in these populations, potentially forcing families to face out-of-pocket costs or reduced vaccine availability.
  • The policy shift coincides with a surge of the NB.1.8.1 variant in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, intensifying concerns about weakened protections for vulnerable groups.