In a recent announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed COVID-19 vaccines from the recommended immunization schedule for healthy pregnant women and children.
Flanked by federal health officials, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the announcement May 27. The move has sparked criticism from some health experts.
“As of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” Kennedy Jr. announced in a video posted on X. “We’re now one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to make America healthy again.”
Kennedy, who has long been known as a vaccine skeptic, called the change “common sense” and a step toward making America healthier, according to an NPR report.
This means insurance companies may stop covering the shots, which could make access more difficult. Critics argue that the ramifications include limited choice and could put vulnerable groups at risk.
Meanwhile, the decision comes without input from independent advisers, raising concerns among medical professionals, NPR noted in its report.
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Physician groups criticized the move, calling it inconsistent with clinical research and real-world experience. They also noted that many aspects of the change remain unclear and questioned how it would be implemented in practice.
Although independent advisers are reassessing COVID vaccine recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices isn’t set to meet until later this month to issue guidance.
Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Dr. Steven J. Fleischman of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both criticized the change in their conversation with NPR, warning that COVID infection during pregnancy can be dangerous.
“It’s really concerning,” said O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases. “I think it’s going to be confusing not only for parents but also for public health professionals and medical professionals as well. This takes away choice.”
Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told NPR his organization is “extremely disappointed” by the decision to remove the COVID vaccine recommendation for pregnant women.
The Trump administration recently imposed stricter requirements for future COVID vaccine approvals, raising concerns among health advocates that access could be further restricted.
While the government previously recommended the shots for nearly everyone, some experts say the new policy ignores scientific evidence and could sow confusion among parents and doctors.
In a recent NPR analysis, the news outlet found that since the Trump administration took office, the CDC’s communication with the public has significantly decreased.
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NPR revealed that key communication channels — like newsletters, health alerts, and social media — have gone silent or been taken over, limiting the CDC’s ability to share health information.
Health alerts about disease outbreaks, once sent to health professionals subscribed to the CDC’s Health Alert Network, have not been issued since March, the report said. Emails reviewed by NPR show the agency’s main social media channels are now under the Department of Health and Human Services, and most have gone more than a month without posting new content.
Now that key communication methods many relied on have been cut off, concerns have emerged about the potential negative impact on Americans’ health and access to important information related to public health.
“Public health functions best when its experts are allowed to communicate the work that they do in real time, and that’s not happening,” Kevin Griffis, who served as the director of communications at the CDC until March, told NPR. “That could put people’s lives at risk.”
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