Impact of Revised COVID-19 Vaccine Guidelines: Identifying the Affected Individuals
Updated CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations Spark Concern
The United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced a significant shift in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination. As of May 27, 2025, the CDC no longer suggests vaccination for pregnant individuals or healthy children.
Thischange comes after a statement published by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which recommended a focus on older adults and those at high risk of severe disease from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Experts, such as Daniel Ganjian, MD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, and Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, shared concerns about these updated guidelines.
Concerns for Pregnant Individuals
Ganjian emphasized that the elimination of COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant people would potentially increase the risk of severe illness, ICU admission, preterm birth, and perinatal death. Previous recommendations, including those from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and others, encouraged vaccination in pregnancy due to these risks.
Monica Gandhi agreed, expressing concern about the new guidance that no longer names pregnant women as candidates for the shots. She argues that they are inherently immunocompromised, making them vulnerable to severe COVID-19.
Impact on Children's Health
While healthy children may have a lower risk of developing severe COVID-19, infection can still pose health risks. These include the potential development of long-term conditions and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). According to Ganjian, children with underlying medical conditions may still be able to access vaccines under specific clinical indications, although this depends on regulatory and public health policy decisions.
Implications for Public Health
Ganjian expressed concern that rescinding broad recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination could signal a shift in risk assessment, potentially leading to increased susceptibility among vulnerable populations. He advocates prioritizing the health and safety of pregnant people by offering them booster shots, while maintaining that healthy children with prior immunity should not require further vaccination.
In contrast, Gandhi suggests an individualized approach, where most older adults and immunocompromised individuals would continue to receive boosters. As for healthy children with prior immunity, she recommends against further COVID-19 booster shots.
Regarding vaccine trials for new formulations, Gandhi expressed reservations about using placebo-controlled trials for vulnerable populations, such as older individuals, stating that it would be unethical to leave them unprotected.
Privately Accessing Vaccines
Pregnant individuals and parents who wish to vaccinate their children may still be able to access COVID-19 vaccines through private purchase or off-label use, depending on regulatory status and local healthcare provider policies. However, insurance coverage and public health supply may be limited if recommendations are withdrawn.
With these updates to COVID-19 vaccination guidelines, it is essential to monitor their impact on vulnerable populations and maintain public confidence in vaccination strategies. Ongoing efforts to optimize COVID-19 vaccination protocols based on scientific evidence should prioritize the health and safety of all individuals, especially pregnant people and children.
- In light of the updated CDC COVID-19 vaccination recommendations, experts, such as Daniel Ganjian and Monica Gandhi, are concerned that the elimination of vaccination for pregnant people may increase the risk of severe illness, ICU admission, preterm birth, and perinatal death.
- While healthy children may have a lower risk of developing severe COVID-19, Ganjian highlights that infection can still pose health risks, including the potential development of long-term conditions and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).
- With the new vaccine guidelines, Monica Gandhi argues for an individualized approach in determining vaccination needs for older adults and immunocompromised individuals, while suggesting against further COVID-19 booster shots for healthy children with prior immunity due to the potential risks and ethical considerations.
