Health organizations and doctors in Illinois are expressing concern over the decision by U.S. Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop recommending COVID-19 shots for healthy children and pregnant women, calling it “shortsighted” and warning it could limit health care choices for families.
Dr. Corinne Kohler, a family practice physician and president-elect of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, noted that the vaccine is not only intended to prevent severe illness but also to stop spread of the virus.
“One of the other impacts in not immunizing, especially children, is that they are such a vector for viral diseases,” Kohler said. “When they’re not immunized, and even if they have mild or asymptomatic illness, they are still spreading it, especially to our vulnerable populations.
“I think it is very shortsighted to limit the vaccine coverage,” she said.
Dr. Corinne Kohler is president-elect of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians.
Kennedy announced the shift in a 58-second video posted on the social media site X on Tuesday. No one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was in the video, and CDC officials referred questions to Kennedy and HHS. Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine advocate before becoming HHS secretary, claimed annual COVID-19 booster shots have been recommended for kids “despite the lack of any clinical data” to support that decision.
U.S. health officials, following recommendations by infectious disease experts, had previously urged annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older. The CDC website cites data showing vaccination reduces risk of severe illness and says it’s important to stay up to date with boosters because protection decreases over time.
Still, changing the recommendations is not completely out of the blue. As the pandemic has waned, experts have increasingly discussed the possibility of focusing vaccination efforts on people 65 and older, who are among those most at risk for death and hospitalization.
A CDC advisory panel is set to meet in June to make recommendations about the fall shots. One of its options is suggesting shots for high-risk groups but still giving lower-risk people the choice to get vaccinated. Kennedy opted not to wait for the CDC’s recommendations.
Vaccination has been recommended for pregnant women, in part, because it’s a way to pass immunity to newborns who are too young for vaccines and are vulnerable to infections. According to the CDC, from October 2022 to April 2024, young infants were more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 than any age group other than those 75 and older.
For pregnant women, COVID-19 can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and preterm birth, Kohler said.
Those looking to protect themselves and their families with a vaccine may have more hurdles to overcome after Kennedy’s decision, Kohler said, as insurance companies could decide to stop covering the shot, limiting availability.
“That is going to possibly impact vaccine availability in terms of what is covered,” she said.
That concern was shared by Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the committee on infectious diseases for the Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics. In a statement, he said the CDC could be stripping families of choice.
“Those who want to vaccinate may no longer be able to, as the implications for insurance coverage remain unclear,” O’Leary said. “It’s also unclear whether health care workers would be eligible to be vaccinated.”
He said the decision bypasses a “long established, evidence-based process” to ensure vaccine safety and ignores the expertise of medical experts. “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,” he said.
Between October 2024 and March, children and teenagers accounted for about 4% of hospitalizations related to COVID-19, according to the CDC. Pediatric deaths are rare, but children haven’t been spared. The coronavirus has been the underlying cause in more than 1,300 childhood deaths in the U.S. since the pandemic began, according to CDC data.
In 2023, an Oxford University study found that between 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 was a leading cause of death among those 19 and under in the U.S., ranking eighth overall. It ranked first in deaths caused by infectious or respiratory diseases.
Researchers said the study suggests public health measures like vaccinations and staying at home when sick still have an important role to play in limiting transmission of the virus.
Despite Kennedy’s announcement, Kohler said she will still encourage people to get vaccinated.
“The vaccine still helps prevent serious illness, hospitalization and deaths, especially in our vulnerable populations,” she said.
Contributing: Associated Press
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