Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly weighing the option to remove the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) childhood immunization schedule. This potential move is stirring debate in both medical and political circles.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for HHS, confirmed that discussions are in progress, though a definitive decision has yet to be reached. "No final decision has been made," Nixon stated when questioned about the vaccine’s future on the recommended schedule. The removal of the vaccine from this schedule does not equate to a ban on the vaccine for children, but it would signify a significant deviation from the scientific guidelines set by the CDC and its independent advisors only three years prior.
The influence of the CDC’s immunization schedule extends across the nation, shaping the vaccine regimens pediatricians administer and influencing insurance coverage. Additionally, the schedule plays a role in helping states and localities set vaccination requirements for school attendance. However, it is important to note that currently, no states mandate the COVID vaccine for schoolchildren.
Kennedy has internally expressed support for the removal of the vaccine, citing a lack of substantial scientific evidence for its necessity in early childhood vaccinations. This stance comes in the context of studies indicating that children face relatively low risks from COVID-19. Moreover, the trend in Europe reflects a move away from recommending annual COVID vaccinations for healthy children.
Political motives also appear to be at play, as advocates believe that such a move would rally supporters of Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" campaign, which has been critical of the government's pandemic actions and vaccine policies. Observers note that the low parental uptake of COVID vaccines for children, currently at 13 percent according to CDC data, may minimize public backlash.
The politicization of the pandemic response has been escalating since 2020, with twenty-two states having banned student COVID vaccine mandates. In a related development, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February threatening to cut federal funding to schools that require the vaccine.
Public health experts, however, are sounding alarms that the proposed change could erode confidence in vaccines more broadly. Pediatric infectious disease specialist Paul Offit from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia voiced his concern, comparing the situation to a "Tyrannosaurus rex" probing for vulnerabilities, potentially causing widespread harm.
Kennedy's current position marks a shift from his earlier assurances, particularly during his confirmation process when he promised not to make changes to the childhood vaccination schedule to secure the crucial vote of Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician. Post-confirmation, Kennedy shifted his stance, expressing an intent to reassess the schedule among other topics he deemed had been "taboo or insufficiently scrutinized."
The inclusion of the COVID vaccine in the CDC schedule in 2022 followed a unanimous endorsement from an advisory panel, with CDC officials stating it would "normalize" the vaccine and promote timely vaccinations.