RFK Jr. says COVID-19 shot isn't recommended for healthy kids

Japan Times

28-05-2025

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the COVID shot has been taken off of the country's recommended vaccine list for healthy children and pregnant women, a seismic shift in the government's approach to the virus.
The decision to back the immunization only for adults and those with existing health conditions reverses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's earlier stance that everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated.
"With the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, it is time to move forward,' the Department of Health and Human Services said in an emailed statement.
The move underscores the profound impact Kennedy is exerting on immunizations in the U.S., a polarizing topic that has long galvanized his base of vaccine critics. His social media announcement also leapfrogged a planned meeting of medical experts who guide the CDC on vaccine policy to evaluate which Americans would benefit most from the shots.
"This is really a concerning decision because it goes outside the normal process,' said Sean O'Leary, pediatrician and a liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The decision is especially concerning for children under two years old who are at higher risk from the virus and babies under six months old who rely on their mothers for antibodies, he said.
But the announcement also came as a relief to investors, who were expecting Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, to stop recommending the vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax for a greater number of Americans.
Shares in Moderna were up 2.8% at 1:21 p.m. in New York. Novavax rose 3%, while Pfizer gained 1%.
Most Americans who get COVID shots each year are 65 or older, or have underlying conditions, Novavax said. Pfizer and Moderna didn't immediately comment. The two companies are seeking full U.S. approval for their COVID shots for younger children, after years of selling them on an emergency basis granted during the pandemic.
Continued decline
Vaccine experts struggled to recall another time when the nation's top health official undid the CDC's earlier recommendation. Still, it's a continuation of what's been happening in the country.
Since before Kennedy was in his role, ACIP had been looking into whether the vaccines should target only high-risk children and adults, and the group was expected to vote on the issue at a meeting in June. Under Kennedy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it will no longer approve COVID booster shots for healthy adults and children without new studies confirming the safety and effectiveness of repeat exposures.
And parents have largely ignored vaccine recommendations as memories of the pandemic fade. Just 13% of children were immunized against COVID last season, according to the CDC. That's about half the rate of adults, which is still well below universal coverage.
But children do still face serious risks. More than 150 kids under age 18 died from COVID in the year ended August 2024, according to the CDC. A COVID infection can increase a child's chances of developing Type 2 diabetes, and researchers estimate about 6 million American children may have long COVID.
The U.S. vaccine schedule guides doctors on when to give shots to children, and helps insurers decide which to cover. While parents can still pay for the vaccines, the move likely eliminates the requirement that private insurance pay for the shots for children. It may also end access for some 38 million low-income children who get free immunizations through the Vaccines for Children program, experts said.
Vulnerable families
"We don't know how this will impact insurance coverage and it could be taking away choice for families,' O'Leary said.
Steven J. Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the group was extremely disappointed that COVID vaccines won't be recommended during pregnancy.
"It is very clear that Covid infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families,' he said.
Making it harder for children and pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID also could put vulnerable family members at risk, said Dorit Reiss, a professor at UC Law San Francisco.
"It's sending a message to the public that these are not a good idea and that's obviously problematic,' Reiss said. "It's very conceivable that people will die because of this decision.'
No health secretary has changed vaccine recommendations before in this way, said Richard Hughes, a health lawyer at the firm Epstein Becker Green and former drug company executive. It's a "legal gray area,' he said.
Details of the CDC's new approach remain unclear. The agency didn't provide any additional information about its recommendations, which appear to conflict with the FDA's demand for more studies in some patient groups. Pregnant women, for example, still qualify for COVID boosters under the FDA's rules, though they're no longer recommended by the CDC.
Welcomed news
Allies of Kennedy who have criticized the COVID vaccine celebrated the announcement and said they would like to see a reevaluation of the childhood vaccine schedule go further than COVID vaccines.
Mary Holland, chief executive officer of Children's Health Defense, the organization critical of vaccines where Kennedy worked before moving into government, said a change to the childhood schedule that excludes COVID boosters will prevent injuries and deaths.
The FDA has determined that the benefits of existing COVID vaccines for children outweigh the risks. In April, it asked the drug companies to warn about myocarditis and pericarditis, a type of inflammation around the heart, in young men age 16 to 25. It cited insurance data showing 38 cases per million doses in the group, while overall there are eight cases per million doses. It's not clear whether the inflammation results in long-term health complications, the agency said.
Del Bigtree, who served as Kennedy's presidential campaign spokesman and founded the nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network that amplifies criticism of vaccine safety, said he wants the recommendation that all infants get a hepatitis B shot revisited as well.