MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The federal government is no longer recommending that healthy pregnant women and healthy children routinely get vaccinated against COVID-19.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Federal health officials say this change makes sense at this point in the pandemic. Independent experts have a different view.
MARTIN: NPR health correspondent Rob Stein is with us now with the details. Good morning, Rob.
ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So this seems to represent a big change. Do we have any more details about this?
STEIN: Yes. That's a huge change. But no, we don't have a lot of details, unfortunately. That's because all we know is what federal officials said during a 58-second video the Department of Health and Human Services posted on X. Here's HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in that video.
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ROBERT F KENNEDY JR: 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.
STEIN: He was flanked in that video by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, who basically both seconded Kennedy's decision without much explanation. And federal officials didn't answer any specific questions from NPR or our request for follow-up interviews.
MARTIN: So to this point, they didn't explain the decision at all?
STEIN: Well, Kennedy says that there was no evidence that repeated boosters help healthy kids - kids with no risk factors - and FDA Commissioner Makary agreed. Here's what he said.
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MARTIN MAKARY: There's no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopped recommending it for children.
STEIN: And, you know, while that might be true, in this country, this change still is raising a lot of concerns among independent experts.
MARTIN: OK. Well, say more about that, if you would. What are those concerns?
STEIN: Well, one big one is that the decision appears to have been made without going through the normal process of getting input from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent advisers. They've been mulling over this very question and are scheduled to meet next month to review all the evidence and make recommendations about this. And beyond that, outside experts are worried what this means for the health and safety of pregnant people, kids and their families.
MARTIN: OK. So let me ask you about that. Do healthy pregnant women and kids still need regular COVID boosters, and what if they want them?
STEIN: Well, one big question is, will insurance companies still pay for the shots, and will people be able to afford it if they don't? Because if the vaccines aren't recommended, insurance companies may very well not pay for them. You know, most healthy older kids are at low risk for serious complications from COVID, and most parents haven't been getting their kids vaccinated. But some parents still want to immunize their kids, you know, to protect them against even mild disease and long COVID and from bringing the virus home to vulnerable family members, like, you know, Grandma and Grandpa. And pregnant women are at very high risk of serious complications from the virus.
And that's not all - their newborn babies are in great danger of getting really sick from COVID, and they're too young to get the shots themselves. The only way to protect them is to vaccinate their moms while they're pregnant so the babies can get antibodies in the womb. I talked about this with Dr. Naima Joseph from the Boston Medical Center. She advises the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
NAIMA JOSEPH: You know, it really preys upon pregnant people because they're just trying to make the best decisions for themselves, for their babies, for their families.
STEIN: And, you know, she says this puts pregnant people in a really sticky situation.
MARTIN: That is NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Rob, thank you.
STEIN: You bet, Michel. Nice to be here. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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