Kennedy's move appears to shortcut the CDC's outside vaccine advisers, dropping COVID vaccines from the list recommended for children and pregnant women.

Makary was accurate when he said that "most countries have stopped recommending" routine COVID-19 vaccination for children.

Pediatric and OB-GYN health care providers react to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s announcement on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

“By removing the recommendation, the decision could strip families of choice,” said O’Leary. “What is clear is that pregnant women, infants and young children are at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID, and the safety of the COVID vaccine has been widely demonstrated.”

Existing evidence on the safety and efficacy of getting a COVID vaccine in pregnancy all points the same way: the shot is important for maternal and fetal health.

The World Health Organization has tracked a new COVID-19 variant that has emerged across multiple region. Amid this, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna that offers added protection for older adults and people with health risks.

While the CDC typically relies on a panel of vaccine experts to make public health recommendations, this process was skipped in making the COVID-19 recommendation.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its immunization schedule for children, days after US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that Covid-19 vaccines would be struck from the list of recommended shots for healthy children and pregnant women.