RFK Jr. says COVID shots no longer recommended for kids, pregnant women

The CDC is removing recommendations that children and pregnant group get nan COVID vaccine. Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/Media News Group/Getty Images hide caption

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Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/Media News Group/Getty Images

The national authorities has removed COVID-19 vaccines from nan database of shots recommended for patient pregnant women and children, national wellness officials announced Tuesday.

"I couldn't beryllium much pleased to denote that arsenic of coming nan COVID vaccine for patient children and patient pregnant women has been removed from nan CDC recommended immunization schedule," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced successful a video posted connected X. "We're now 1 measurement person to realizing President Trump's committedness to make America patient again."

The determination will make it overmuch harder for parents to get their children vaccinated and for pregnant group to get nan shots because security companies will apt nary longer salary for them.

"Last twelvemonth nan Biden management urged patient children to get yet different COVID changeable contempt nan deficiency of immoderate objective information to support nan repetition booster strategy successful children," Kennedy said.

In announcing nan decision, Kennedy was flanked by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

"It's communal consciousness and it's bully science," Bhattacharya said.

"There's nary grounds patient kids request it coming and astir countries person stopped recommending it for children," Makary added.

The determination was apparently made without nan accustomed input from independent extracurricular advisers. Although independent advisers person been reconsidering nan COVID vaccine recommendations, nan Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices isn't scheduled to meet until later this period to make a recommendation.

In consequence to questions connected this issue, Department of Health and Human Services property caput Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano shared nan pursuing statement: "HHS and nan CDC stay committed to golden modular subject and to ensuring nan wellness and well-being of each Americans—especially our nation's children."

Since nan vaccines became available, nan authorities has been recommending nan shots for astir everyone, including children and pregnant people. Although children don't thin to get earnestly sick from COVID, immoderate do, particularly very young children, and pregnant women stay astatine high consequence for superior complications from nan virus.

Vaccinating pregnant women besides protects newborn babies, who can't get vaccinated themselves but are astatine very precocious consequence for superior complications from nan virus.

"It's really concerning," Dr. Sean O'Leary, who chairs nan American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee connected Infectious Diseases, told NPR. "I deliberation it's going to beryllium confusing not only for parents but besides for nationalist wellness professionals and aesculapian professionals arsenic well. This takes distant choice."

Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, president of nan American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said his statement is "extremely disappointed" by nan removal of nan proposal for COVID shots during pregnancy.

"As ob-gyns who dainty patients each day, we person seen firsthand really vulnerable COVID infection tin beryllium during gestation and for newborns who dangle connected maternal antibodies from nan vaccine for protection," he said successful a statement. "The subject has not changed. It is very clear that COVID infection during gestation tin beryllium catastrophic and lead to awesome disability."

The announcement comes a week aft the management made changes that could dramatically restrict nan readiness of nan adjacent information of COVID boosters. The authorities will now require further testing for nan vaccines to beryllium approved for usage by anyone different than group who are astatine precocious consequence from COVID because they are property 65 aliases older aliases person consequence factors for different wellness problems.