The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed Covid-19 vaccines from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. In contrast to the CDC’s former stance that the shot is safe for children and pregnant women, the announcement signals that the Trump Administration believes more research is needed.
The decision was unveiled in a video posted to X by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was joined by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. The three officials said the move reflects a “common sense” strategy that aligns US policy with countries like Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, all of which currently limit Covid-19 vaccination recommendations to high-risk populations.
Citing a lack of clinical data supporting routine Covid-19 boosters for low-risk groups, Kennedy said the change is a course correction from previous recommendations from the Biden Administration that he believes were overly broad and not supported by clinical data. The officials emphasized that Covid-19 vaccines remain available for those over 65 and individuals with underlying health conditions, but will no longer be promoted for universal use among healthy children or pregnant women without additional, more rigorous clinical trials.
Only 13% of children and 14% of pregnant women got the most recent booster, Makary noted in the video, adding “We need to follow the data, not double down on mandates that the public is increasingly rejecting.”
The decision bypassed the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which was scheduled to meet in June to review fall vaccine guidance.
Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, called the policy change “complete madness,” and said it ignores well-established data showing that Covid-19 poses serious risks to pregnant women and that vaccination is both safe and protective for them and their babies.
According to the CDC’s website, pregnancy increases the risk of severe illness from Covid-19, including hospitalization, intensive care, and preterm birth. The agency has also consistently cited studies indicating that Covid-19 vaccines are effective and pose no known safety risks during pregnancy.
However, as of April, only 23% of US adults have received the updated 2024–25 Covid-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. And only 13% of children are getting the shots now.
Beyond the medical debate, the policy change could have downstream effects on insurance coverage. Many insurers base vaccine reimbursements on CDC recommendations, and the removal of Covid-19 vaccines from the routine immunization schedule could mean some patients will need to pay out of pocket.
Commissioner Makary earlier this year implemented more stringent approval processes for future Covid-19 vaccines, requiring placebo-controlled trials for healthy populations before broad authorization.
The head of the CDC was not included in the announcement because there is no current head of the CDC.
Dr. Susan Monarez, who served as acting director from Jan. 23 through March 24, is no longer serving in that position and a replacement has not been named, which left the announcement of the Covid recommendation change to HHS Sec. Kennedy. The CDC website shows only deputy directors.
What about all the young men with blood clots? When will the Democrats and their unions accept responsibility for these tragedies? Was it a planned event? Of course it was. The same people behind COVID are running Anchorage and Juneau. When will you wake up?
Unfortunately, Herr Biden made sure Pfizer is legally off the hook for killing people with the Covid “vaccine”
Since blood clots as a side effect of the vaccine ran around 1 for every 100,000 people inoculated, I doubt you’ll find a large group of people suffering from what you’re claiming.
Medications have been pulled from the market and pharmaceutical companies fined for a rate of harm that is miniscule compared to that. Even though the rate is small, that does not mean the impact cannot be huge.
The Covid vax killed more people than all other vaccines combined.
What is of more interest is that many of us already knew this almost 5 years ago.
I am going to miss Greg on this article. He was always reliable. Constantly claiming the vaccine saved his life, without any demonstrable evidence. He was just so sure that had he not been vaccinated, his bouts with COVID would have resulted in his death.
RFK Jr. is pursuing the health of America with the same tenacity that OJ did trying to find his wife’s real killer.
Not sure I agree.
Questioning whether vaccines should remain on the required list (or recommended list) for children, especially vaccines that have demonstrated adverse side effects, IS pursuing improvements in health. Publicly questioning the large amount of over processed food we eat, encouraging exercise, and pushing for restrictions on EBT purchase of high sugar, low nutrition items are all pursuing health.
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But, I guess saying it should be up to the individual family to decide if the COVID vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks is somehow detrimental in the eyes of the left.
Shocking that you would disagree with me. We’re usually in lockstep with one another.
Remember the blowback that Michelle Obama got when she dare say that children should eat more vegetables? Publicly stating that people should eat a better diet and exercise more is nothing new. Kennedy doesn’t own a monopoly on such thinking; nor is he the first to advocate for it.