美国卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪周二宣布，将新冠肺炎疫苗从疾病控制和预防中心的“健康儿童和孕妇”免疫计划中删除，此举可能会改变医生的指导以及一些保险覆盖范围。
肯尼迪是美国最著名的疫苗怀疑论者之一，他在一次演讲中宣布了这一消息他X账号上的视频帖子他站在美国食品药品监督管理局专员Marty Makary和国家卫生研究院主任Jay Bhattacharya之间，他们都是医生。
肯尼迪在视频中说:“我们现在离实现特朗普总统让美国再次健康的承诺更近了一步。”
虽然视频旁边的文字提到HHS周二采取了行动，但截至周二下午，CDC网站上的官方免疫时间表没有变化。
疾病预防控制中心的免疫计划不仅是医生的指南，它还决定了大多数主要私人计划和医疗补助扩展项目的保险范围。
目前还不清楚联邦卫生官员认为什么是“健康”的儿童或孕妇。
疾病预防控制中心把怀孕列为潜在疾病，所以理论上，怀孕的妇女有资格注射疫苗，即使在上周发布了新的FDA疫苗框架.
上周，美国食品和药物管理局宣布，它计划限制未来的新冠肺炎注射只适用于65岁以上的人或有潜在健康问题的人。
ABC新闻要求HHS澄清周二的声明。
医学领袖“对这一声明有点措手不及”
肯尼迪的声明取消了一个过程，即疾病预防控制中心的独立顾问小组对任何新的或更新的免疫计划建议进行投票。预计该小组将在6月份的会议上就此事进行投票。四月中旬，小组讨论了，似乎支持一项建议，即超过6个月的每个人都应该每年接种一次冠状病毒肺炎疫苗，或者转向一种只有高危人群才有资格接种的模式。
通常，CDC主任会批准新疫苗的推荐，但是主动主任的角色是空的苏珊·莫纳雷斯正等待疾控中心最高职位的确认，肯尼迪宣布了新的建议。Kennedy最近对出国旅行到感染风险高的地区的疫苗建议进行了修改，该机构指出，“在等待新的疾病预防控制中心主任确认的情况下，这些建议于2025年5月13日被HHS国务卿采纳，现在是疾病预防控制中心的官方建议。”
一个通常参与免疫计划变更过程的医疗团体的领导人指出，他“对这一宣布有点措手不及。”
“没有人就此咨询过我们，”美国儿科学会传染病委员会主席肖恩·奥利里博士告诉美国广播公司新闻，他指的是将新冠肺炎疫苗从推荐的儿童免疫计划中删除。
“我最担心的是过程。奥利里说:“这实际上忽视了美国长期以来用于提出疫苗建议的基于证据的过程，忽视了帮助提出这些建议的医学专家的意见，也忽视了与[疾病预防控制中心顾问小组]合作起草这些建议的所有联络组织。”。
美国传染病学会表示，这一决定将产生负面影响。
该协会周二在一份声明中说:“许多健康保险公司依赖联邦建议来确定覆盖范围，这一决定可能会使数百万美国人更难获得他们自己和家人想要的疫苗。”
美国产科医生和妇科医生学会表示，他们“对这一声明感到担忧和极度失望。”
“在这一声明之后，我们担心未来的患者，他们可能不太可能在怀孕期间选择接种疫苗，尽管有明确和确定的证据证明它的好处。该组织在周二的一份声明中说:“我们担心获得的影响，以及这一建议对那些选择在怀孕期间接种疫苗的人来说，对新冠肺炎疫苗的保险范围意味着什么。”作为妇产科医生，我们非常担心未来疫苗信心的潜在恶化。"
自疫情疫情高峰期以来，每年接种最新冠状病毒肺炎疫苗的儿童人数一直有限。据估计，13%的儿童接种了最新的冠状病毒肺炎疫苗，疾病控制中心的最新数据四月下旬的节目。去年同期，这一比例为14.2%。
孕妇的冠状病毒肺炎疫苗接种率也保持在较低水平，14.4%的孕妇接种了最新的冠状病毒肺炎疫苗，疾病控制中心的最新数据四月下旬的节目。去年同期，这一比例为12.3%。
甘乃迪以前对新冠肺炎疫苗的评论，儿童疫苗时间表
Kennedy经常分享对疫苗的看法——包括新冠肺炎疫苗——这与公共卫生研究人员和主流科学界的共识相左。
2021年5月，肯尼迪要求联邦政府撤销对所有新冠肺炎疫苗的授权;2021年12月他虚假索赔新冠肺炎疫苗是“有史以来最致命的疫苗”
肯尼迪发表声明的几周前，他在1月下旬向参议院财政委员会作证时承诺，他支持儿童疫苗接种计划。
“我支持疫苗。我支持童年时间表，”肯尼迪当时说。
“如果被证实，作为HHS的秘书，我不会做任何让人们接种疫苗变得困难或不鼓励人们接种疫苗的事情，”他反复说道告诉委员会在他的证词之后，参议员们纷纷提问。
肯尼迪此前曾反对推荐的儿童疫苗接种计划。
他通过儿童健康保护组织为改变而斗争，该组织是他创建的，但他辞去了主席和法律顾问的职务，成为HHS的秘书。上周，他发布了他的“让美国再次健康”报告其中包括呼吁加强对儿童疫苗接种计划的监督。
尽管该报告称疫苗可以保护儿童免受传染性疾病的侵害，但它也声称家长们担心疫苗的“适当使用”及其在儿童慢性疾病中的“可能作用”。
“尽管儿童疫苗计划有所增长，但对疫苗和慢性病之间的联系、疫苗损伤的影响以及疫苗计划制定中的利益冲突的科学调查有限。这些领域值得进一步研究，”报告指出。
几十项研究未能发现疫苗数量的增加与儿童患更多慢性病之间的联系。
本月初，肯尼迪在众议院听证会上说他的“关于疫苗的观点是不相关的”，后来补充说“我不认为人们应该接受我的建议，医学建议。”
RFK Jr. cuts COVID vaccine recommendation for healthy kids, pregnant women -- and why it matters
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's immunization schedule for "healthy children and pregnant women" -- a move that could alter guidance for doctors as well as some insurance coverage.
Kennedy, one of the nation's most publicly recognized vaccine skeptics, made the announcement in avideo post on his X account, where he stood between Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya -- both of whom are doctors.
"We're now one step closer to realizing President Trump's promise to Make America Healthy Again," Kennedy said in the video.
While the text posted alongside the video noted HHS had taken action Tuesday, the official immunization schedule on the CDC website had not changed as of Tuesday afternoon.
The CDC's immunization schedule is not only a guide for doctors -- it also determines insurance coverage for most major private plans and Medicaid expansion programs.
It remains unclear what federal health officials consider "healthy" children or pregnant women.
Pregnancy is listed by the CDC as an underlying condition, so women expecting a child would theoretically be eligible for the shot even under thenew FDA vaccine framework released last week.
Last week, the FDA announced that it planned to limit access to future COVID-19 shots only to people over 65 years old or those with an underlying health condition.
ABC News has asked HHS for clarity on Tuesday's announcement.
Medical leader 'kind of blindsided by this announcement'
Kennedy's announcement cut out a process where the CDC's independent panel of advisors vote for any new or updated recommendations to the immunization schedule. The panel has been expected to vote on the matter in their June meeting. In mid-April,the panel had discussed, and seemed to support, a recommendation that everyone over 6 months should receive an annual COVID vaccine or shift to a model where only those who were high-risk would be eligible.
Typically, the CDC director green-lights new vaccine recommendations, but with the active director role empty whileSusan Monarez awaits confirmation for the CDC's top job, Kennedy announced the new recommendations. Kennedy recently made changes to vaccine recommendations for those traveling abroad to an area with elevated risk of infections with the agency noting, "With pending confirmation of a new CDC Director, these recommendations were adopted by the HHS Secretary on May 13, 2025 and are now official recommendations of the CDC."
A leader of a medical group that is typically involved in the process for changes to the immunization schedule noted he was "kind of blindsided by this announcement."
"We were not consulted about this," Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on infectious diseases, told ABC News, referring to the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the recommended immunization schedule for children.
"My biggest concern is about the process. This really ignores a long-established, evidence-based process that has been used to make vaccine recommendations in the U.S. It ignores the opinions of the medical experts who help make these recommendations, and it also ignores all of the liaison organizations that work with the [CDC's advisory panel] to craft these recommendations," O'Leary said.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America said the decision will have a negative impact.
"Many health insurers rely on federal recommendations to determine coverage, and this decision could make it significantly harder for millions of Americans to access vaccines they want for themselves and their families," the society said in a statement Tuesday.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said it is "concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement."
""Following this announcement, we are worried about our patients in the future, who may be less likely to choose vaccination during pregnancy despite the clear and definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit. We are concerned about access implications and what this recommendation will mean for insurance coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who do choose to get vaccinated during pregnancy," the group said in a statement on Tuesday. "And as ob-gyns, we are very concerned about the potential deterioration of vaccine confidence in the future."
The number of children who have received the updated COVID vaccine annually has been limited since peak pandemic. An estimated 13% of kids received the most recent COVID vaccine,the latest CDC datafrom late April shows. At the same time last year, the rate was 14.2%.
The rate of COVID vaccination among pregnant women has also remained lower with 14.4% receiving the most recent COVID vaccine,the latest CDC datafrom late April shows. At the same time last year, the rate was 12.3%.
Kennedy's previous comments on COVID-19 vaccine, childhood vaccine schedule
Kennedy has frequently shared views on vaccines -- including the COVID-19 vaccine -- that are at odds with the consensus of public health researchers and the mainstream scientific community.
In May 2021, Kennedy asked the federal government torevoke its authorization of all COVID-19 vaccines; in December 2021 hefalsely claimedthat the COVID-19 vaccine was "the deadliest vaccine ever made."
Kennedy's announcement comes weeks after he promised senators that he supported the childhood vaccination schedule during his confirmation testimony with the Senate Finance Committee in late January.
"I support vaccines. I support the childhood schedule," Kennedy said at the time.
"If confirmed, I will do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking vaccines," he repeatedlytold the committeefollowing questions from senators after his testimony.
Kennedy has previously advocated against the recommended vaccine schedule for children.
He has fought for changes through the Children's Health Defense, a group he founded but resigned as chairman and legal counsel of to become HHS Secretary. Last week, he released his"Make America Healthy Again" report, which included calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule.
Although the report states that vaccines protect children from infectious diseases, it also claims parents are concerned about their "appropriate use" and their "possible role" in chronic diseases among children.
"Despite the growth of the childhood vaccine schedule, there has been limited scientific inquiry into the links between vaccines and chronic disease, the impacts of vaccine injury, and conflicts of interest in the development of the vaccine schedule. These areas warrant future inquiry," the report states.
Dozens of studieshave failed to find a link between an increased number of vaccines and more chronic disease among children.
Earlier this month, Kennedysaid during a House hearingthat his "opinions about vaccines are irrelevant," later adding "I don't think people should be taking advice, medical advice from me."
