Overview
- On Jan. 5 the CDC reduced routine pediatric recommendations from 17 to 11 vaccines, shifting COVID-19, seasonal flu, hepatitis A and B, RSV, rotavirus, and meningococcal shots to high-risk or shared clinical decision-making.
- Leading organizations including the AAP, AMA and IDSA condemned the move as unjustified and dangerous, and dozens of groups urged HHS to restore the prior schedule.
- Several states said they will keep following the previous 17‑vaccine guidance, with California, Maryland, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire among those signaling continuity.
- Internal reporting says ACIP was not consulted and career CDC scientists were sidelined, with one agency physician resigning in protest over the process.
- CMS and major insurers say all previously recommended vaccines remain covered without cost sharing, yet experts warn pharmacy limits and added clinic hurdles could curb access as Maryland advances a “Vax Act” to set its own recommendations and fact-checkers flag misleading White House claims.