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RFK Jr. changes COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, despite scientific findings

Medical personnel vaccinate students at a school in New Orleans on Jan. 25, 2022. (Ted Jackson/AP)
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Medical personnel vaccinate students at a school in New Orleans on Jan. 25, 2022. (Ted Jackson/AP)

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or healthy pregnant women. Kennedy is a longtime vaccine skeptic.

Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement he was “extremely disappointed”

“We also understand that despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the science has not changed,” Fleischman said in a statement. “It is very clear that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants after birth.”

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Linda Eckert, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and adjunct professor of global health at the University of Washington, member of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology Immunization Committee, and author of “Enough: Because We Can Stop Cervical Cancer.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

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