RFK Jr says no COVID vaccines for healthy children, pregnant women
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy
Jr. made another sweeping change to the US vaccine landscape, saying the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed its recommendation
of the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women. 
Just the guy we need to run national
health policy
"I couldn't be more pleased to announce that, as of
today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant woman has
been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule," Kennedy said
in a video message,
flanked by Martin Makary, MD, MPH, commissioner of the Food and Drug
Administration, and Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, director of the National
Institutes of Health.
The move comes just 1 week after the FDA announced—via an opinion piece in
the New England Journal of Medicine—that the vaccine would now be
offered only to adults 65 years and older or those with underlying conditions
that made them vulnerable to severe COVID-19.
Today's video message is short and direct but is already
causing confusion, as pregnancy itself is considered a risk factor for severe
COVID-19.
ACOG 'extremely disappointed'
Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, president of the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), said in a press release sent
to the media that the move is worrisome.
Despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the
science has not changed
"ACOG is concerned about and extremely disappointed by
the announcement that HHS will no longer recommend COVID vaccination during
pregnancy. As ob-gyns who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how
dangerous COVID infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend
on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection. We also understand that
despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the science has not
changed," said Fleischman said.
Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the University of
Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), which
publishes CIDRAP News, said the announcement is just another example of the
policy making "on the fly" that has been emblematic under Kennedy
during President Donald Trump's second term.
"We can't count on policy from hour to hour, let alone
day to day,” said Osterholm. "Just last week the FDA indicated that
pregnancy was a special risk group. There's been no new consultation, no new
information since then."
The ACOG statement said there is evidence that maternal
vaccination protects newborns from COVID infections in the first 6
months after birth.
"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," said Fleischman.
On its website, ACOC still recommends COVID vaccination for pregnant women.
In the video message, the three men did not address
vaccination in pregnancy, but they did talk about why COVID vaccines were being
pulled for healthy children.
"There's no evidence that healthy kids need it today,
and most countries have stopped recommending it for children," said
Makary.
The three officials also did not discuss what role officials
from the CDC played in the decision, as changes made to immunization schedules
are typically made by the CDC.
