Overview

• Releasing an independent schedule, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children ages 6 to 23 months and for high-risk children ages 2 to 18.
• The CDC under HHS now advises shared decision-making for most healthy children rather than routine vaccination, following the overhaul of its vaccine advisory panel.
• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused the AAP of corporate influence in posts on X, while the AAP says its guidance is evidence-based.
• Independent experts, including CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project and leaders from major medical societies, publicly backed the AAP’s evidence-focused approach for highest-risk children.
• Access remains uncertain because insurers typically follow CDC/ACIP recommendations, pharmacists adhere to federal guidance, and the FDA recently limited Moderna’s pediatric authorization to children with underlying conditions.