The HHS has removed the COVID shot from the CDC's recommended list of vaccines for these groups

Why Experts Are Pushing Back on New COVID Shot Guidance for Healthy Kids, Pregnant People Experts say they're still at risk, and the decision could limit access to the shot

The HHS has removed the COVID shot from the CDC's recommended list of vaccines for these groups

• HHS will no longer recommend the COVID vaccine for healthy kids and pregnant people.
• Experts say both groups may still face higher COVID risks than healthy adults.
• The vaccine may still be available for these groups but likely won’t be covered by insurance.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this week it will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant people.

The change was shared in a video posted on X by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alongside Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Martin Makary, MD, MPH, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The vaccine has been removed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended immunization schedule for these groups, Kennedy said.

The HHS framed this decision as taking “one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to make America healthy again”—but experts argue the risks of COVID for pregnant people and healthy children remain higher than for healthy adults.

What’s Behind the Change?

According to Kennedy, there is a lack of clinical data to support the effectiveness of repeated COVID boosters in children. Makery also said that other countries have similarly rolled back vaccine recommendations for children.

The HHS team, however, did not explain the decision for pregnant people in the video.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, it is time to move forward,” an HHS spokesperson told Health. “HHS and the CDC remain committed to gold standard science and to ensuring the health and well-being of all Americans—especially our nation’s children—using common sense.”

The news follows an FDA announcement for stricter requirements on COVID boosters for healthy Americans under 65. Companies will now have to provide randomized, controlled trial data to show the shot’s effectiveness for this group, making it unlikely the boosters will ever reach the market.

For people ages 65 and older, or those over 6 months with at least one risk factor for severe COVID, vaccine recommendations have not changed. The FDA expects to approve a booster shot this year for these high-risk groups.

Where it gets confusing: “Pregnancy or recent pregnancy” is on the list of risk factors for severe COVID, suggesting that pregnant people are eligible for a vaccine, but the new change appears to override this guidance. The HHS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about this contradiction.

Risks for Pregnant People and Children Remain, Experts Say

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) criticized the decision to remove the COVID vaccine recommendation for pregnant people.

“ACOG is concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement that HHS will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy,” Steven J. Fleischman, MD, OB-GYN and ACOG president, said in a statement.

“As OB-GYNs who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how dangerous COVID-19 infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection,” added Fleischman. “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants after birth.”

Fleischman cited CDC data showing high COVID hospitalization rates in infants younger than 6 months—too young to be immunized themselves. The majority of those cases involve children born to unvaccinated mothers.

For healthy children, the risk of severe illness from COVID is low but not negligible.

“In general, the SARS-CoV-2 infection isn’t as serious, fortunately, as we would be worried about, but it does still cause hospitalizations and serious illnesses in pediatric patients,” Andrew Siesennop, MD, general pediatrician at Tufts Medical Center, told Health.

Sissennop added that he continues to educate parents “on the benefits of vaccinating and the seriousness of some illnesses in this younger population.”

Taylor Heald-Sargent, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, added that the COVID vaccine has proven to be effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations in children.

Meanwhile, Aaron Milstone, MD, MHS, pediatric director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins Health System and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases, warned that the change could take away families’ options.

“We know that healthy kids die of COVID. We know that pregnant women can die of COVID. ... That question with the family is, are you going to accept that risk?” said Milstone. “I think right now we’re saying that parents won’t have that choice.”

It also appears that HHS made this decision without input from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of independent experts that normally makes vaccine recommendations and isn’t scheduled to meet until late June.

Can Healthy Kids and Pregnant People Still Get the COVID Vaccine?

Despite the policy change, the vaccine may still be available to healthy children and pregnant people through healthcare providers who can still order vaccines not listed on the CDC’s recommended schedule, according to Sissennop.

However, without an official recommendation for these groups, insurance coverage for the vaccine may be an obstacle. Patients could be forced to pay out of pocket, potentially limiting access for many.

“For some people, that means vaccines will become unattainable,” said Milstone.

The Bottom Line

Experts largely agree that removing COVID vaccination guidance for pregnant people and healthy children may carry health risks for both groups—and potentially for public health as a whole.

Leaders in maternal and pediatric health feel it’s important for families to have the choice to be vaccinated, even if the federal government no longer recommends it.

“I do think there’s risk [with] these decisions,” Milstone said. “I understand the change from a requirement, but I think the decision to offer is important and appropriate.”

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This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Jenna Anderson