US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) just announced that recommendations of COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy pregnant women and healthy children would be halted. This is part of his “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)” plan from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In many countries, pregnant women are considered a vulnerable group and are recommended to take all precautions, including a jab in order to reduce the risk of becoming infected.
Steven J. Fleischman, MD, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a statement saying that they are “concerned and extremely disappointed by the announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy”.
The question stands on how cutting COVID-19 vaccinations will affect pregnant women. ACOG stated that healthcare experts like ob-gyns know and have witnessed how dangerous COVID-19 infections can be during pregnancy, especially for new-borns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection.
“As of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” Kennedy said in his video. “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 stated “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’s recommended immunisation schedule.” This statement alone sparked concerns from experts about the state of the CDC and the direction it’s heading towards.
Today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from @CDCgov recommended immunization schedule. Bottom line: it’s common sense and it’s good science. We are now one step closer to realizing @POTUS’s promise to Make America Healthy Again. pic.twitter.com/Ytch2afCLP
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) May 27, 2025
It is very clear that contracting a COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be extremely dangerous and could lead to major disabilities and devastating outcomes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) have said that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect women and their infants after birth.
ACOG follows up with another statement, saying “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. And as ob-gyns, we are very concerned about the potential deterioration of vaccine confidence in the future.”
Research gathered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research on the comparisons between vaccinated and unvaccinated women globally prove that COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy reduces risks to the mother and her baby.
A representative from CDC said that people have to “move on” from COVID-19 as the pandemic happened years ago.
However, for institutions to suddenly drop COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant women and children, it could potentially do more harm than “good”.
After all, it could be a personal preference for Kennedy and his team to get rid of the vaccination as there have been claims of him being against it, but what’s more important is the health and wellbeing of these pregnant women and their young children who are highly at risk of contracting COVID-19 especially with a new variant, NB.1.8.1. spreading globally at this very moment.
