The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to minors and pregnant women, a significant departure from government policy during the pandemic.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will remove the recommendations when it enacts new policies for approving vaccinations.
The exact timing of the announcement wasn’t clear, the people said, though it was expected in the coming days.
The CDC currently recommends that everyone six months and older, including pregnant women, receive Covid vaccines. It wasn’t clear if the department is planning to remove the recommendation for Covid shots entirely for those groups, or just suggest that patients talk with their doctors about risks and benefits.
Spokespeople for HHS, CDC and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kennedy has long been a foe of the Covid vaccines and petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in 2021 to revoke their emergency-use authorizations. Trump appointees working closely with him have also been critics of the shots, especially those that use messenger-RNA technology or are authorized for use in children.
“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,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said Thursday.
The report further noted that the percentage of children and pregnant mothers receiving the vaccine has dropped by 13 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
During the pandemic, the idea of vaccinating children became a spirited debate among those who wanted the government to mandate the shots and those who pointed out that children were far less likely to experience deleterious consequences from the coronavirus.
HHS to Stop Advising COVID Shots for Kids, Pregnant Women | Mark Swanson, Newsmax
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) May 16, 2025
The Health and Human Services department is planning to stop recommending that pregnant women, teens and children get a routine COVID-19 vaccination, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
A… pic.twitter.com/ajIYAzsLpe
States like California mandated vaccines for school children. However, its government later reversed course after a huge backlash among parents who argued that they should make these choices for their children instead of Gov. Gavin Newsom and his hair gel.
Those on the pro-vaccine side argued that the benefits of vaccinating children argued that the benefits outweighed the risks. The CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) backed this argument. A TIME article pointed out that Pfizer’s vaccine showed a 90.7 percent effectiveness when it comes ot preventing children from becoming infected.
However, those on the other side of the debate pointed out that the vaccination was not as risk-free for children as others claimed. They also noted that vaccinations were not as beneficial as proponents claimed — especially since minors already had a far lower probability of becoming infected and experiencing adverse symptoms if they did catch the virus.
While HHS’ move will frustrate those who still wear masks while driving alone in their cars, it is clearly the right move. If parents want to vaccinate their children, that is their choice. But it is as clear today as it was four years ago that it is not necessary in the vast majority of cases.