CDC stops recommending COVID-19 shots for all, leaves decision to patients

"Before this year, U.S. health officials following recommendations by infectious disease experts recommended annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older. The idea was to update protection against the coronavirus as it continues to evolve. As the COVID-19 pandemic waned, experts increasingly discussed the possibility of focusing vaccination efforts on people 65 and older who are among those most at risk for death and hospitalization."

"But Kennedy, who has questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, abruptly announced in May that COVID-19 vaccines were no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. He also dismissed the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with a handpicked group. The new group voted last month to say all Americans should make their own decisions. But the CDC also says vaccine decisions, especially for seniors, should involve checking with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist."

"The panel also urged the CDC to adopt stronger language around claims of vaccine risks, despite pushback from outside medical groups who said the shots had a proven safety record from the billions of doses administered worldwide. In a statement Monday, O'Neill celebrated the change, saying past guidance deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination."

The CDC adopted recommendations that stop universally endorsing COVID-19 vaccination and leave decisions to individual patients. Previously, annual boosters were recommended for everyone ages six months and older to update protection as the virus evolved. The change followed actions by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who questioned vaccine safety, said vaccines were no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, and replaced the CDC's advisory committee with a handpicked panel. The new panel recommended personal choice for vaccination while advising seniors to consult clinicians. The panel also sought stronger language about vaccine risks despite pushback from medical groups citing a proven safety record.

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