US health authorities to stop recommending Covid-19 shots for children, pregnant women, WSJ reports
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As at April 26, about 14 per cent of pregnant women and 13 per cent of children had received the updated Covid-19 vaccine.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning to drop recommendations for routine Covid-19 vaccines for pregnant women, teens and children, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 15, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is part of the HHS, recommends that individuals aged six months and older should be given an updated Covid-19 vaccine, regardless of previous inoculations for the disease.
It was not clear if the department is planning to remove the recommendation entirely for those groups or just suggest that patients talk with their doctors about risks and benefits, the report said.
As at April 26, about 14 per cent of pregnant women and 13 per cent of children had received the updated Covid-19 vaccine, according to the CDC.
In the US, three Covid-19 shots have been authorised for use – Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech’s messenger RNA based vaccines along with Novavax’s protein-based shot.
Moderna and Novavax declined to comment, while the HHS and Pfizer did not immediately respond to Reuters requests seeking comment.
HHS is led by Mr Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a long-time vaccine sceptic. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Martin Makary had also raised concerns about a number of public health efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic and opposed vaccine mandates for the public.
Novavax is currently trying to resolve issues with the FDA for its vaccine shot, after the health regulator missed its April 1 target to approve the shot. In addition to the CDC recommendation changes, the FDA is planning to roll out a new framework for vaccine approvals next week, the WSJ reported.
This comes amid mass layoffs, including of high-ranking scientists, as part of an overhaul under Mr Kennedy, which has prompted worries about potential disruptions to the regulatory review of treatments and vaccines. REUTERS
