The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped recommending routine COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant women and healthy children, US health regulators said.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a video statement on Tuesday that the vaccines have been removed from the CDC's immunisation schedule for those groups.
"As of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule," Kennedy announced.
"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, a long-time vaccine skeptic whose department oversees the CDC, has been remaking the US health system to align with President Donald Trump's goal of dramatically shrinking the federal government.
"Science has not changed" vs "It's good science"
Kennedy was flanked by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Martin Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Dr Jay Bhattacharya during the announcement.
"It's common sense and it's good science," Bhattacharya said.
"There's no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopped recommending it for children," Makary added.
The US Food and Drug Administration last week said it plans to require new clinical trials for approval of annual Covid-19 boosters for healthy people under age 65, effectively limiting them to older adults and those at risk of developing severe illness.
Covid vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Dr Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, stated after Kennedy’s announcement that "the science has not changed".
"In fact, growing evidence shows just how much vaccination during pregnancy protects the infant after birth, with the vast majority of hospitalised infants less than six months of age — those who are not yet eligible for vaccination — born to unvaccinated mothers," Fleischman added.
Although the new variant is not believed to cause more severe illness, officials are advising mask use in crowded places and increasing vaccine and treatment supplies.
