CDC Stops Recommending Covid-19 Vaccine for Kids; Major Health Groups Disagree
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently ceased recommending the Covid-19 vaccine for children, yet many prominent healthcare organizations are pushing back against this guidance.
On Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) unveiled its annual vaccination schedule, which still includes the Covid-19 vaccine. In their announcement, AAP emphasized that “infants and children between 6 and 23 months of age are at the highest risk of severe Covid-19.” They recommend the vaccine for all children in that age group to protect against severe illness.
AAP also suggests a “single dose of the age-appropriate Covid-19 vaccine” for older children and teens who are at high risk for severe Covid-19.
“We shifted to risk-based recommendations for healthier older children because hospitalization rates in young children with underlying health issues remain consistent with those seen in other vaccine-preventable diseases,” the AAP explained.
Additonally, the AAP encourages that the vaccine should be accessible to children aged 2 to 18 who may not be in the high-risk categories but still wish to be vaccinated.
Earlier this year, in May 2025, HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the Covid-19 vaccine would be removed from the CDC’s routine vaccination schedule for healthy children and pregnant women. Instead of universal guidelines, the CDC’s updated recommendations now advocate for “shared clinical decisions”—a process where parents and healthcare providers weigh the benefits and risks of vaccination on a case-by-case basis.
Current guidelines indicate that if parents decide to vaccinate, children older than six months can receive the Covid-19 vaccine based on input from their healthcare provider as well as personal circumstances.
The AAP’s vaccination schedule currently covers 18 illnesses, recommended for all children from birth until they reach 18 years of age. They noted that their schedule differs from the recent recommendations made by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
In addition to the Covid-19 updates, the schedule also includes changes related to meningococcal vaccines, the initiation age for human papillomavirus vaccines, and the removal of certain hepatitis vaccines that are no longer available.
