NEED TO KNOW
- The Trump administration is expected to roll back current CDC recommendations for the COVID vaccine, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal
- Existing CDC guidelines say that all people six months and up should receive the vaccine to prevent or lessen COVID
- The announcement is expected to come amid the administration’s revamping of how vaccines are approved
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to change the current guidelines for the COVID shot, and is expected to stop recommending routine vaccinations for children, teens and pregnant women.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to walk back the existing guidance, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, May 15. The COVID vaccine is currently recommended for people six months and older, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s guidelines say. But as WSJ reports, the new guidance is expected to come amid the administration’s revamping of how vaccines receive approval.
CDC
“Separate from my role as a regulator at the FDA, I am not encouraging or insisting young, healthy children to get a COVID shot unless there is new evidence that emerges that suggests there is a clear benefit,” said Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, per the WSJ report.
Critics of the move said it can discourage vaccination, which can severely impact the health of immunocompromised people who rely on herd immunity. Lawyer and vaccine advocate Richard Hughes told the WSJ that rolling back the recommendations would “have a behavioral impact on whether people choose to get vaccinated.”
HHS lead Kennedy is a longtime vaccine skeptic, and has made false claims in the past about vaccines. Recently, he claimed the measles shot contained “aborted fetus debris,” and in 2022, his lawyer and ally Aaron Siri petitioned the FDA to revoke approval for the polio vaccine.
The new COVID guidance is expected to be announced in the coming days, per the WSJ report.
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The CDC previously reported that the vaccines reduced the rate of COVID infection by 90%. More than seven million people have died from the virus, with 1.2 million deaths occurring the U.S. alone, according to World Health Organization reporting.
