COVID-19 Vaccine No Longer Recommended for Healthy Pregnant Women and Children
HHS Revises COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations, Sparks Concern
Updated May 29, 2025
The Department of health and Human Services (HHS) will remove the COVID-19 vaccine from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant individuals, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday. The policy shift, revealed in a video on X, has drawn criticism from medical professionals.
Kennedy, along with FDA Commissioner Martin Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, called the move “common sense,” citing a lack of evidence supporting the vaccine’s necessity for healthy children and noting that many countries no longer recommend it for this group. The officials did not elaborate on the reasoning regarding pregnant individuals.
The declaration follows the FDA’s recent recommendation to limit COVID-19 shots to adults 65 and older and those at high risk. As of May 28, the CDC still lists the COVID vaccine on its vaccination schedule for children and pregnant women.
the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has voiced strong concerns about the change. The IDSA criticized the decision to bypass the Advisory committee on Immunization Practices, which typically reviews such matters.
Tina Tan, president of IDSA and a physician at Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, saeid the decision was concerning because it occurred outside the established review process.Tan, also a pediatrics professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, emphasized that healthy children face risks from COVID-19 complications, including long COVID.
“It’s concerning that this decision was made outside of a well-established process that has previously been open to the public and relied on a robust review of scientific evidence,” said tina Tan, MD, president of IDSA.
Tan noted that long COVID, or MIS-C, can affect growth in infants and children, even after mild or asymptomatic infections.She also highlighted the risks for pregnant individuals, who are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 complications like preterm labour, preeclampsia, and organ damage, according to the IDSA.
The American College of obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) also expressed “extreme disappointment” with the HHS decision.
“As ob-gyns who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how risky COVID-19 infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection,” wrote Steven J. Fleischman, MD, president of ACOG.
ACOG President Steven J. Fleischman stated that COVID-19 during pregnancy can lead to significant disability and devastating consequences for families. The NIH notes that while vaccines are not approved for infants under six months, maternal vaccination during pregnancy provides newborns with protection against symptomatic COVID infection for at least six months.
what’s next
The lack of clarity regarding the criteria for defining “healthy” children and pregnant individuals raises questions about who should receive the vaccine under the new guidance. Experts also worry that insurance companies may drop coverage for the COVID-19 vaccine, potentially limiting access for children and pregnant individuals.