COVID vaccine change: Shots no longer recommended for 2 groups

Changes in recommendations for who should get COVID vaccines in the U.S. removed two key groups from the list, federal officials said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced that healthy children and healthy pregnant women have been removed from the Centers for Disease Control’s recommended immunization schedule.

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“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,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a video posted on X. “We’re now one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to make America healthy again.”

The change means insurance companies will likely no longer pay for the vaccinations, which had previously been recommended for all Americans age 6 months and older. The annual vaccine is still recommended for people aged 65 and older who have medical conditions that make the virus particularly dangerous or who have never received a COVID vaccine.

The announcement came after the Trump administration made changes that could dramatically restrict availability for the next round of COVID boosters, NRP reported. The government will now require additional testing for vaccines used by anyone other than people who are at high risk from COVID due to age or other health conditions.

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The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee is set to meet this week to make recommendations on strains that are included in the next round of shots. In recent years, COVID patterns have followed that of the flu with upticks in the winter months.