RFK Jr. Ends COVID Vaccine Urging for Healthy Kids, Pregnant Women

WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The top U.S. health agency will no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women.

Tuesday's announcement by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bypasses the typical vaccine recommendation process, which includes review by experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Washington Post said.

Kennedy, who has long questioned vaccine safety, shared the news in a 58-second video posted on X. 

"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," he said.

“Last year the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children,” Kennedy added.

He appeared in the video with Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

They did not provide data or further explanation for the decision.

“There’s no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopped recommending it for children,” Makary said.

Public health experts were quick to respond. 

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said the administration had hinted this change was coming. But he wants to see the science behind it, The Post reported. 

“Are they making this decision without going to any of their advisory committees?” Benjamin said. “Show us the evidence, the studies that have been done. … I don’t know of any.”

The CDC has said that pregnant women are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and may face complications such as preterm birth or stillbirth. 

Just 14.4% of eligible pregnant women and 13% of eligible children have received the latest version of the COVID shot.

The announcement also bypassed the usual review by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That group typically meets to review data and offer guidance on who should get a vaccine. The CDC director then approves the recommendation, which affects whether a patient's insurance will cover the cost.

“I would say it’s a legal gray area,” vaccine policy expert Richard Hughes IV told The Post.

This move follows the FDA's decision last week to narrow its approval for updated COVID shots to adults 65 and older, or those with certain health conditions that put them at increased risk.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 vaccination.

SOURCE: The Washington Post, May 27, 2025