PBS
The FDA and CDC will no longer recommend annual COVID vaccinations for healthy people younger than age 65, overturning past official U.S. health policy.
“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 recommended immunization schedule,” said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a video statement released via X on Tuesday.
The FDA said last week that adults over age 65 and anyone over 6 months with one or more chronic or underlying health conditions, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes or pregnancy, were still recommended to get an updated shot. The latest announcement from Kennedy, FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, an avid critic of vaccine mandates, changes the guidance for pregnancy.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement Tuesday that it was “concerned” and “extremely disappointed” by the Trump administration’s exclusion of pregnant people from receiving updated COVID vaccines. Pregnancy has been shown to raise the risks of developing severe COVID.
“Following this announcement, we are worried about our patients in the future, who may be less likely to choose vaccination during pregnancy despite the clear and definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit,” ACOG President Dr. Steven J. Fleischman said in a written statement. “We are concerned about access implications, and what this recommendation will mean for insurance coverage of the COVID vaccine for those who do choose to get vaccinated during pregnancy. And as ob-gyns, we are very concerned about the potential deterioration of vaccine confidence in the future.”
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