The US will no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for children and healthy pregnant women, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday, calling it a “common sense” decision grounded in sound science.
This change comes after last week’s news from Food and Drug Administration officials. They said they would limit who can get Covid shots. Now only adults aged 65 and older can get them. Younger people with health problems can also still get the vaccines.
According to AFP, Trump administration officials say this change makes the US more like other countries. In Britain, Germany and France, yearly booster shots are only recommended for elderly people and those with weak immune systems.
The announcement comes as Kennedy pushes to change federal health policy. Kennedy has a history of spreading false information about vaccines, including Covid shots.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommended immunization schedule,” he said in a video posted to X.
FDA officials also made another announcement. Vaccine companies will need to run new clinical trials if they want to keep approval for healthy people under 65. These trials must compare the vaccines against fake shots with just salt water.
These changes have upset some experts.
Amesh Adalja works as an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University. He told AFP last week that the new approach matches other countries. But he added, “I do think, however, that the initial Covid-19 vaccine series should be part of routine childhood immunization.”
Paul Offit is a top vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He warned the change could make it harder for people to get boosters if they want them. This is especially true in the US health care system, where insurance companies may refuse to pay for them.
The decision about pregnant women is a big change from previous CDC guidance.
As of Tuesday morning, the CDC’s website had not been updated to show Kennedy’s announcement. It still said pregnant women are among people for whom it is “especially important” to get the vaccine.
“If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to those who are not pregnant,” it says.
