The Department of Health and Human Services is reportedly preparing to revise its recommendations and no longer advise routine COVID-19 vaccinations for expectant mothers, minors, and children, The Wall Street Journal revealed on Thursday.
According to the report, a formal statement from the agency outlining the policy change is expected to be released shortly.
At present, the CDC advises that all individuals aged six months and older receive regular COVID-19 vaccinations. However, the report notes that it remains uncertain whether the CDC will completely withdraw its endorsement of COVID shots for these particular age groups.
Last month, it was disclosed that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was weighing a decision to pull the COVID vaccine from the federal government’s list of standard immunizations recommended for children.
Such a decision would bring the United States into greater alignment with the World Health Organization, which does not endorse routine annual COVID vaccinations for healthy youth or healthy adults. Additionally, data has consistently shown that children rarely suffer severe outcomes from COVID-19 infections.
The issue of child COVID vaccinations surfaced multiple times during Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearings in January.“COVID vaccines are inappropriate for 6-year-old children who basically have a zero risk of COVID,” Kennedy said at one point.
According to updated CDC figures, only 13% of children have received the most recent iteration of the COVID vaccine. No state currently mandates COVID shots for school attendance, and 22 states have enacted laws prohibiting school vaccine requirements related to COVID-19.
This news emerged on the same day the Food and Drug Administration announced it is reviewing a possible overhaul of the vaccine approval process, with a decision expected as soon as next week. Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, indicated that pharmaceutical companies may soon be required to submit more comprehensive trial data and incorporate placebo-controlled studies for new vaccines.
In early April, the FDA postponed full approval of the Novavax COVID vaccine. While the shot remains authorized for emergency use, full approval would expand its availability. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Novavax shot does not rely on mRNA-based technology.
{Matzav.com}