WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a major shift in public health policy, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that the federal government will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children and pregnant women, calling the move a “common-sense, science-based update.”
The decision follows a recent adjustment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which now restricts COVID-19 vaccine authorization to individuals 65 and older and younger people with serious underlying health conditions.
Framing the change as a step toward aligning U.S. health protocols with those in Europe, including the UK, Germany, and France, the administration says the goal is to tailor vaccination efforts toward the most vulnerable populations.
“This is a turning point,” Kennedy said in a statement shared via video on the social media platform X. “We are taking a more targeted approach and removing healthy children and pregnant women from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.”
However, the announcement has raised alarms among health experts and public health advocates. Critics point to Kennedy’s longstanding opposition to vaccines and warn that the new guidance may undermine vaccine access and public trust.
“This mirrors what some European nations are doing,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University, “but I still believe the primary COVID vaccine series should remain part of routine childhood immunization.”
Dr. Paul Offit, a prominent vaccine researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, cautioned that the rollback may lead insurers to stop covering COVID-19 boosters for those under 65, limiting access for people who still want protection — especially in a healthcare system driven by private insurers.
The CDC’s official website, as of Tuesday morning, had yet to reflect the policy change and continued to emphasize that vaccination remains particularly important for pregnant women, who face a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
In a related development, the FDA has stated that vaccine manufacturers must now conduct new clinical trials, including comparisons with saline placebos, if they wish to maintain approval for use in healthy individuals under 65.
As debates continue, public health officials are grappling with how to balance evolving scientific evidence, vaccine access, and the politicization of health policy in the post-pandemic era.
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