The US government has removed the experimental COVID-19 vaccines from the list of recommended vaccinations for healthy pregnant women and children.
– We’re now one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to make America healthy again, declared Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. when announcing the decision.
– I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule, RFK said in a video posted on X yesterday.
According to analysts, the decision will most likely mean that significantly fewer children and pregnant women will be vaccinated with the heavily criticized vaccines in the future – partly because this is not recommended by the authorities – but also because many insurance companies will likely no longer cover the cost.
– Last year the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children, Kennedy continued.
“Common sense and good science”
At the announcement, Kennedy was flanked by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary and National Health Service Chief Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
– It’s common sense and it’s good science, Bhattacharya said.
– There’s no evidence healthy kids need it today and most countries have stopped recommending it for children, Makary added.
Even the US Department of Health and Human Services press secretary, Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano, states that “HHS and the CDC remain committed to gold standard science and to ensuring the health and well-being of all Americans – especially our nation’s children”.
“A victory for all children and pregnant women”
Since the vaccines became available, the government has recommended them to almost all citizens – including children and pregnant women.
Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense (CHD) – which early on urged the CDC not to recommend the vaccine for children and challenged the agency after the decision – welcomes the announcement.
– Hallelujah! Holland said, adding: “These dangerous, poorly tested shots have caused injuries and death to far too many children. And many of the vaccines’ long-term side effects remain unknown. This is a major step in the right direction”.
– CHD urged the CDC not to add these dangerous vaccines to the childhood schedule. When we were ignored, we fought relentlessly to get them removed. This is a victory for all children and pregnant women.
In 2022, CHD sued the US federal Food and Drug Administration for granting emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children and infants. The lawsuit alleged that the FDA abused its emergency use authorization power to push dangerous biological substances on minors. The organization appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court, which ultimately declined to hear the case.
“Emergency use authorized” for 5-year-olds
Even during the most panicked phases of the coronavirus crisis, experts agreed that children were at extremely low risk from COVID-19. Shortly after the vaccines were approved, side effects were reported, and peer-reviewed studies linked the vaccine to myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly in young people, in addition to several other health risks.
Despite this, public health authorities initially approved the vaccine for people aged 16 and older, and extended it to 12-year-olds in May 2021. The FDA then approved the vaccine for children aged 5 and older in October 2021, and for infants aged 6 months in June 2022.
However, the COVID-19 vaccine has never received full approval from the FDA for children under 12 – it is still only authorized for use under emergency use authorization.
Nevertheless, the CDC added COVID vaccination to its routine vaccination schedule for children and adults in February 2023, after the agency’s advisory committee unanimously recommended it. The CDC has since continued to recommend annual booster doses for children.
The federal vaccination schedule also forms the basis for the vaccination recommendations given by most doctors, and also serves as formal guidance for state and local public health authorities that determine which vaccinations are required for school attendance. Children must usually have received all vaccines on the schedule to be considered “up to date”.
