Kennedy changes COVID vaccine rules

Healthy people under 65 may have to pay for shots

By: Karen Weintraub
USA Today

..... Some doctors and medical organizations are concerned about changes to the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations made by Helaht and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
..... Under the changes Kennedy announced in a social media post May 27, [2025] in addition to those previously announced by his appointees, the only people who will be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines are those who are over 65 and people with existing health problems.
..... These changes, which bypassed the normal scientific review process, may make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, including health care workers and healthy people under 65 who have a vulnerable family member or want to reduce their short-term risk of infection.
..... Kennedy specifically changed the recommendations so healthy children aren't included, through it;s not clear if that's just for booster shots or whether it would also include a baby's first COVID-19 vaccine.
..... Insurance coverage typically follows federal recommendations so anyone who is healthy and under 65 is likely to have to pay out of pocket to get the shot - which runs about $200 - if they can get it.

Bypassing scientific review

..... Limiting access in this way, several medical experts said, contradicts Kennedy's previous statement about how he'd handle vaccine recommendations. It also nus counter to the general practice of medicine, which supports people making decisions in collaboration with their doctor, they said.
..... "I think we can treat people respectfully and show them the information and let them make their won decisions," said Dr. Jesse Goodman, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Georgetown University.
..... He and other said they're especially concerned that these policy changes are happening without supporting data or the typical scientific review.
.....Changes to the vaccine schedule are typically made after recommendations from two panels of medical experts. The heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and drug Administration review the decisions and issue a joint recommendation.
..... In Kennedy's brief comment may 27, [2025]he didn't mention consulting any doctors or expert panels. Nor did he explain his reasoning, though he has complained in the past about the quality of studies sued to justify previous recommendations.
..... "We haven't been presented with one shred of information to show that this step is needed at this time," Goodman said. "If it is, fine, but present that publicly, use the advisory committees and let's have a transparent process."
..... The American Academy of Pediatrics raised concerns about Kennedy's disregard for the normal procedure.
..... "This decision bypasses a long-established, evidence-based process used to ensure vaccine safety and ignores the expertise of independent medical experts, including members of CDC committees who are examining the evidence regarding the vaccine to make recommendations for the fall," [2025] Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Disease, said in a statement.
..... In the lead-up to Kennedy's confirmation, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, said Kennedy assured him he would adhere to expert guidance on vaccinations, "work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems."

Kids, pregnancy, babies

..... A booster remains useful for everyone, several experts and disease organizations told USA today.
..... On balance, the vaccine still provides a benefit, said Dr. Melissa Stockwell, division chief child and adolescent health at Columbia University.
..... "What we're really looking for is protection against severe outcomes," Stockwell said. "for parents who want their children to be vaccinated, we want them to have that opportunity."
..... The federal government has stopped tracking COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths, but local data shows they are still happening in every age group, with one-third of hospitalizations in people under 65.
..... Healthy kids will no longer be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines, according to Kennedy's announcement. Yet COVID-19 continues to lead to about ans many hospitalizations in children as the flu.
..... children between 6 months and 2 years are at high risk for severe COVID-19 because they have not been exposed to it before, just as everyone was at higher risk when the virus was new.
..... And vaccination reducers the risk for long COVID, in which symptoms can linger for months or even years. Stockwell, who said her own children are vaccinated, citied research slowing that vaccines reduce the risk of long COVID in children by 40%.
..... A new study in JAMA Pediatrics found that roughly 1 in 7 previously infected children meet the criteria for long COVID.
..... The removal of the recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy concerns a number of obstetricians, infectious disease specialists and pediatricians. The vaccine has been shown to be extremely safe during pregnancy and far safer than a COVID-19 infection.
..... Pregnant women are at high risk for severe diseases, and studies show that the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth and pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, blood clots, heart and kidney damage, and hypertensions are much higher among pregnant women who develop COVID-19 during pregnancy.
..... Newborns are also at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 because their airways are so small. Vaccinating during pregnancy protects newborns until they are old enough to get their own ship, Stockwell said.
..... The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine issued a statement saying the society "strongly reaffirms its recommendation that pregnant patients receive the COVID-19 vaccine."
..... Safety data on the vaccines continues to show that serious side effects are extremely rare, leading many specialists and expert organizations to conclude that it's still worthwhile to get the vaccine.

..... Contributed: Adrianna Rodriquez, USA Today

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