COVID in US: Kids now "may receive" COVID-19 vaccines; CDC clears amidst COVID-19 cases surging in US
NB.1.8.1, a new strain of COVID-19 that's been rising in frequency lately, has already been designated by the
World Health Organization
as a 'variant under monitoring,' and now, Washington state has its first case.
The case was detected by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance program at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to a statement sent to McClatchy by the Washington State Department of Health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now states that children without underlying health conditions "may receive" COVID-19 vaccines, moving away from a blanket recommendation for all children to be vaccinated against the virus.
Could kids be vaccinated now?
Updates to the CDC's childhood immunization schedule were published following an earlier announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding the agency's decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.
The new guidance indicates that "where a parent expresses a desire for their child to be vaccinated, children aged 6 months and older may receive COVID-19 vaccination," based on the clinical judgment of healthcare providers as well as personal preferences and circumstances.
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This change to what the CDC refers to as "shared clinical decision-making" means that health insurance companies will still be required to broadly cover vaccinations for children in this age group for the time being. The agency continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for moderately or severely immunocompromised children, in addition to most adults. Regarding COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, the CDC now lists them as "No Guidance/Not Applicable," whereas they were previously recommended for all pregnant adults.
While Kennedy announced that healthy pregnant women would also be removed from the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for COVID-19 vaccines, several pages of the agency's guidance still state that pregnant women are encouraged to get vaccinated due to their higher risk of severe disease.
However, one CDC webpage still reads: "Studies involving hundreds of thousands of people worldwide show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial for both the pregnant woman and the baby.
The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy."
Health authorities and experts closely monitor changes to the CDC's recommendations, which are usually updated through open meetings of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, as these are tied to policies like liability protections and insurance coverage requirements.
Moreover, the CDC has removed a statement previously included in the childhood immunization schedule confirming that its guidance was recommended by the committee, approved by the CDC, and supported by various outside medical groups.
Where does the CDC stand now?
Currently, the CDC's adjustments reflect what the committee had already been considering—narrowing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to older adults and younger children with risk factors, while still allowing for broader vaccination coverage for others.
The CDC has employed "shared clinical decision-making" guidance in the past to ensure federal requirements for insurance coverage and vaccine access, while stopping short of recommending vaccination for everyone eligible.
At its last meeting in April, the committee did not indicate any plans to withdraw the recommendation for pregnant women to receive vaccines. In fact, pregnancy was listed as one of the underlying conditions that may justify ongoing vaccine recommendations.
Multiple CDC officials reported that the change arose after the agency received a directive signed by Kennedy, shortly after he posted his announcement on social media.
Kennedy's memo referenced "a review of the recommendations" from the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, arguing that the risks of the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children "do not outweigh the purported benefits.
" It also cited concerns over "the lack of high-quality data demonstrating the safety of the mRNA vaccines during pregnancy and the uncertainty of the benefits" for pregnant women and their babies.
"This is the death of expertise. It would be akin to the Secretary of Transportation directing that all planes must fly 5,000 feet higher than current standards. It's decision-making based on perception rather than evidence," remarked one federal health official about the directive.
Agency officials overseeing immunization recommendations expressed surprise at Kennedy's decision. In an email to staff on Friday, they explained, "As you may be aware, the HHS Secretary issued a directive to the CDC to update COVID-19 vaccine recommendations on the child and adult immunization schedules. Following that instruction, the CDC posted updated versions."
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