Strengthened60% impact weight
Withdrawing a recommendation through a non-standard process signals reduced official endorsement of vaccination, which is assessed to reinforce hesitancy and uncertainty among caregivers.
executive actionverifiedconfidence: medium
Kennedy announces COVID-19 vaccine removed from CDC recommended schedule for healthy children and pregnant women
On May 27, 2025, in a video posted to social media, US HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women had been 'removed from the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.' Reporting noted the announcement bypassed the CDC's normal advisory process and that, at the time, the agency had not yet updated its schedule. The move went further than the agency's own outside advisers had been weighing, including for pregnant women who face elevated risk of severe COVID-19. The change later drew a lawsuit from leading medical societies.
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On May 27, 2025, in a video posted to social media, US HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women had been 'removed from the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.' Reporting noted the announcement bypassed the CDC's normal advisory process and that, at the time, the agency had not yet updated its schedule. The move went further than the agency's own outside advisers had been weighing, including for pregnant women who face elevated risk of severe COVID-19. The change later drew a lawsuit from leading medical societies.
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