CDC Changes Recommendation for COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children and Pregnant Women
In a major shift, the CDC has pulled routine COVID-19 vaccine guidance for healthy children and pregnant women, sparking sharp reactions from medical leaders.
CDC
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This article was originally published by our sister publication Contemporary Pediatrics.
The CDC has pulled its recommendation for routine COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children and pregnant women, according to a social media post by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and multiple national sources.1-3
In a video posted to his X account, Kennedy Jr. stated the following:
"I couldn't be more pleased to announce that, as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule."
The video did not specify which pregnant individuals would qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine, as being pregnant is considered a risk factor for COVID-19 complications.2
The announcement and recommendation shake-up could impact in-place processes set up by the CDC's outside advisors, who discuss and make changes to the agency's vaccination guidance. This guidance is directly tied to what insurers are required to cover, according to an article from CBS News.3
"The craziness never ends, and the recent change to the CDC immunization schedule regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and use in pregnant women and healthy children is complete madness," stated Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP, in an email to Contemporary Pediatrics. Tan is the editor-in-chief of Contemporary Pediatrics, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, an attending for Infectious Diseases at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
"COVID-19 infection can have extremely serious consequences in pregnant women, resulting in hospitalization, pre-term labor, pre-eclampsia, heart injury, blood clots, hypertension, and kidney damage," added Tan. "Not vaccinating them is sheer madness and will contribute to a significant increase in possible morbidity and mortality. Also, not vaccinating healthy children is completely inappropriate, given that some healthy children can have severe [COVID-19] infections with long-lasting consequences. This will make it much more difficult for practitioners as they will have to determine which of their patients are eligible for the [COVID-19] vaccine to determine how much vaccine to order and to determine if insurance will cover vaccine cost."
Recommendation removal follows recent FDA changes
The May 27, 2025, COVID-19 recommendation removal comes just a week after the FDA implementation of stricter COVID-19 vaccine policy for children, which will limit vaccine eligibility for individuals aged 6 months to 64 years with no risk factors for severe COVID-19. The FDA "anticipates the need for randomized, controlled trial data evaluating clinical outcomes" before biologic license applications for the vaccines can be approved for healthy individuals, including children.4
More on COVID-19 vaccine changes: Tina Tan, MD, discusses impact of FDA's stricter COVID-19 vaccine policy for children
This approach differs from the creation of the previous COVID-19 vaccines, and, according to Tan, could impact availability of approved vaccines. Given available safety and efficacy data for previous COVID-19 vaccines, Tan said clinical trials are not warranted.
"[The trials could] be a major factor in delaying whether or not individuals are going to be able to receive the vaccine, and that that is not how this should be done, because we know these vaccines work," said Tan in a previous discussion. "The vaccines are being reformulated every year to take into account the circulating subserotypes. We know the vaccines work, we know the vaccines are safe. To do [this is] really going to delay availability."
On May 19, 2025, the FDA approved the NVX-CoV2705 (Nuvaxovid; Novavax) COVID-19 vaccine. The framework announced by the FDA mirrors the restrictions seen in the approval of NVX-CoV2705, as the recombinant protein-based vaccine is indicated only for those aged 12 to 64 years with at least one underlying health condition that puts individuals at increased risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. Underlying conditions such as cancer, asthma, diabetes, obesity, or smoking were used as examples in a company press release of the approval announcement.5
"If [that restriction isn't removed], then healthy individuals are not going to be able to receive the vaccine this fall," said Tan of the newly approved vaccine. For other vaccines, though, it is unclear what the framework changes mean for those who want a COVID-19 vaccine in the fall but do not fit into one of the new eligibility categories, according to The Associated Press (AP).6
Editor's note: This is the second article in a series highlighting changes to COVID-19-vaccine-related policies from federal agencies.
Click here for the first article highlighting the FDA's stricter COVID-19 vaccine policy.
References:
1. Kennedy R. X. May 27, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://x.com/seckennedy/status/1927368440811008138?s=46
2. Lovelace B, Edwards E. CDC ends Covid vaccine recommendation for healthy kids and pregnant women. NBC News. May 27, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-vaccine-kids-pregnant-women-cdc-recommendation-rfk-jr-rcna207312
3. Tin, Alexander. RFK Jr. says CDC will no longer recommend COVID vaccine for children and pregnant womenRFK Jr. says CDC will no longer recommend COVID vaccine for children and pregnant women. CBS News. May 27, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. May 27, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-covid-vaccines-cdc-children-pregnant-women/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-covid-vaccines-cdc-children-pregnant-women/
4. Fitch J. Tina Tan, MD, discusses impact of FDA's stricter COVID-19 vaccine policy for children. May 23, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/tina-tan-md-discusses-impact-of-fda-s-stricter-covid-19-vaccine-policy-for-children
5. Fitch J. FDA approves NVX-CoV2705 COVID-19 vaccine. Contemporary Pediatrics. May 19, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/fda-approves-nvx-cov2705-covid-19-vaccine
6. Perrone M, Neergaard L. New Trump vaccine policy limits access to COVID shots. The Associated Press. May 20, 2025. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-fda-kennedy-covid-shots-rfk-trump-bb4de15b6ff955d6cd0b406aaec3cdc5
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