Overview

• Federal health agencies have removed COVID-19 vaccines from the CDC’s recommended schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.
• The CDC’s child and adolescent immunization schedule now allows COVID-19 shots for ages 6 months to 17 years under shared clinical decision-making.
• The FDA will restrict vaccine approvals to adults 65 and older or individuals with risk factors, aligning US policy with practices in Britain, Germany and France.
• Officials cite a lack of randomized controlled trial data on COVID-19 boosters in healthy children and pregnant people as the basis for the shift.
• Critics warn that relying on physician discretion could limit vaccine access for those seeking boosters under the US’s private insurance system.