Robert F Kennedy Jr drops Covid vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women - slamming lack of 'clinical data'

27 May 2025, 18:56 | Updated: 27 May 2025, 18:59

RFK Jr said that Covid-19 shots would be removed from the recommendations for certain groups.
RFK Jr said that Covid-19 shots would be removed from the recommendations for certain groups. Picture: Alamy

By Shannon Cook

The US health secretary shared the news in a video posted on social media, where he said that Covid-19 shots would be removed from the recommendations for these groups.

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No one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was present in the 58-second video shared on X.

CDC officials referred questions about the statement to Kennedy and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

US health officials - following recommendations by infectious disease experts - have been calling for annual Covid boosters for all Americans aged 6 months and older.

A CDC advisory panel is expected to meet in June to propose recommendations about the booster shots.

It's understood that among its options are suggesting shots for high-risk groups while still providing lower-risk people the choice to get vaccinated.

Kennedy - who was a vocal anti-vaccine spokesperson before taking on the role of health secretary in the Trump administration - has said that annual Covid booster shots have been proposed for children “despite the lack of any clinical data”.

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Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Jay Battacharya - head of the National Institutes of Health - were featured in the video alongside Kennedy.

Kennedy and others in the Trump administration have been shifting to narrow Covid vaccine recommendations and added restrictions to a recent vaccine approval.

The FDA announced last week that routine Covid vaccine approvals will be limited to seniors and younger people with underlying medical risks - as it awaits new research for healthy adults and children.

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