(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has removed mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from children and pregnant women’s recommended immunization schedules, reversing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s blanket recommendation that every American over the age of six months receive a booster shot annually.
“As of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC immunization schedule,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a video announcement Tuesday. “Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another Covid shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children.”
Those interested can still be able to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for them or their children if they choose to do so, though it is currently unclear whether the shot’s removal from the recommended immunization list will impact insurance coverage.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said it is “extremely disappointed” by the announcement, arguing that “the science has not changed.”
“It is very clear that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families,” ACOG President Steven Fleischman said Tuesday. “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants after birth.”
The ACOG referenced the CDC’s Sept. 2024 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which showed that unvaccinated infants with COVID-19 had high hospitalization rates. Both pregnant women and infants are at a greater risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19.
But supporters of the HHS’ decision doubt the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, pointing to alarming safety data, the Biden administration’s medical censorship campaign, and the CDC’s secrecy surrounding the vaccine’s adverse effects.
Multiple studies have shown that young males are especially at risk of developing pericarditis and myocarditis as a side effect of the mRNA COVID-19 shot. By removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the childhood schedule, pharmaceutical companies will no longer have liability immunity under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.
A 2021 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported a 12.6% miscarriage rate, with raw data showing an 82% miscarriage rate for women vaccinated during the first trimester.
“There was no medical justification for keeping mRNA COVID-19 vaccines on the childhood and pregnant women’s schedules, and we applaud Secretary Kennedy and the HHS staff for their quick action in making this change,” Dr. Kat Lindley from the Independent Medical Alliance said Tuesday. “There continues to be mounting evidence of significant risks that far outweigh any potential benefit.”
