The CDC changed its COVID vaccine guidance. What does that mean for you?

Summary

Consider This from NPR: The CDC Changed Its COVID Vaccine Guidance. What Does That Mean for You?

Release Date: May 29, 2025

In this episode of NPR's "Consider This," host Ari Shapiro delves into the recent changes in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 vaccine guidance. The federal government has updated its recommendations, removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the immunization schedules for healthy children and pregnant women. This significant policy shift has sparked discussions among healthcare professionals and the public about its implications.

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New CDC Guidelines and Government Announcement

The episode begins with the announcement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). In a brief video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Kennedy stated:

“As of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule.”
(00:00)

This declaration follows changes in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approach to COVID-19 vaccinations, prioritizing immunizations for individuals at the highest risk of severe complications.

Expert Insight: Dr. Peter J. Hotez’s Reaction

To understand the ramifications of these new guidelines, Ari Shapiro interviews Dr. Peter J. Hotez, a renowned vaccine scientist and the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Hotez expresses his shock and disappointment regarding the CDC’s decision:

“We know how important COVID vaccinations were both for pregnant women and for children... it makes no sense.”
(02:38)

Dr. Hotez highlights the severe impact COVID-19 had on pregnant women between 2020 and 2023, noting higher rates of severe illness and hospitalizations. He cites data indicating that vaccination led to a 90-94% reduction in hospitalization rates for vaccinated pregnant women, and it also benefited newborn infants by lowering their hospitalization rates.

Reevaluation of Vaccine Necessity for Children

The episode addresses the FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary’s statement that most countries have ceased recommending COVID-19 vaccines for children. Dr. Hotez challenges this stance:

“...the current leadership of the FDA looks at Covid vaccines... only looking at case fatality rates or infection mortality rates... they missed the ball on the impact of vaccinating children for long Covid.”
(03:58)

He emphasizes that studies have shown significant benefits of vaccinating children and adolescents in preventing long COVID, especially during the Delta and Omicron waves of the pandemic.

Vaccine Availability and Insurance Coverage Concerns

A critical concern raised is the availability of vaccines for those who still wish to receive them despite the updated guidelines. Dr. Hotez outlines the uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage:

“We’re in kind of an unknown territory now... What does it mean that the FDA has skirted all of that...?”
(05:01)

He explains that typically, vaccine recommendations and insurance coverage decisions involve collaboration between the FDA, CDC, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). However, the unilateral decision by HHS bypasses these established processes, leaving questions about whether pharmacies will continue to offer vaccines to pregnant women and children, and whether insurers will cover the costs.

Dr. Hotez also points out the significant cost of the vaccines if not covered by insurance, noting:

“At the last look it was around $130 a dose. So that, that is a significant expense for a lot of people.”
(06:55)

Recommendations for the Public

Despite the policy changes, Dr. Hotez advises individuals who wish to remain protected against COVID-19 to consider vaccination, especially if they have vulnerable family members:

“If for my daughter or loved one who was pregnant... I would strongly suggest that they get vaccinated to protect themselves and soon-to-be newborn infant... If you're concerned about long Covid, I would also recommend keeping up with annual immunizations.”
(07:20)

He also emphasizes the importance of vaccination for those living with elderly or immunocompromised individuals to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus.

Conclusion

The episode underscores the complexity and potential risks associated with the CDC’s updated COVID-19 vaccine guidance. While the federal government aims to prioritize high-risk populations, experts like Dr. Hotez highlight the benefits of broader vaccination, including the prevention of long COVID and protection of vulnerable family members. The uncertainty surrounding vaccine availability and insurance coverage further complicates the public’s ability to make informed health decisions.

Listeners are encouraged to stay informed and consult healthcare professionals when considering their options regarding COVID-19 vaccinations.

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Notable Quotes:

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:
  “As of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule.”
  (00:00)

• Dr. Peter J. Hotez:
  “We know how important COVID vaccinations were both for pregnant women and for children... it makes no sense.”
  (02:38)

• Dr. Peter J. Hotez:
  “...the current leadership of the FDA looks at Covid vaccines... only looking at case fatality rates or infection mortality rates... they missed the ball on the impact of vaccinating children for long Covid.”
  (03:58)

• Dr. Peter J. Hotez:
  “We’re in kind of an unknown territory now... What does it mean that the FDA has skirted all of that...?”
  (05:01)

• Dr. Peter J. Hotez:
  “If for my daughter or loved one who was pregnant... I would strongly suggest that they get vaccinated to protect themselves and soon-to-be newborn infant... If you're concerned about long Covid, I would also recommend keeping up with annual immunizations.”
  (07:20)

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Produced by: Kai McNamee
Edited by: Tinbit Ermias
Audio Engineering Support: Tiffany Vera Castro
Executive Producer: Sami Yenigun

Transcript

[Ari Shapiro]

This week, the federal government released new guidelines on who should be vaccinated for COVID 19 hi everybody, I'm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Your HHS secretary. Kennedy, who leads the Department of Health and Human Services, announced the change in a one minute video posted on X. I couldn't be more pleased to announce that as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule. Also in the video, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary.

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

There's no evidence healthy kids need it today and most countries have stopped recommending it for children.

[Ari Shapiro]

The announcement comes after the FDA changed its approach to Covid vaccines, prioritizing immunizations for people at highest risk of serious complications. Some clinicians worry that changing these guidelines could put people at risk. Consider the COVID vaccine has saved lives. Now that the CDC has stopped recommending kids and pregnant women get the shot, will the vaccine still be available to those who want it and will insurance cover it? From npr, I'm Ari Shapiro.

[Tanya Mosley]

I'm Tanya Mosley, co host of Fresh air. At a time of sound bites and short attention spans, our show is all about the deep dive. We do long form interviews with people behind the best in film, books, tv, music and journalism. Here our guests open up about their process and their lives in ways you've never heard before. Listen to the FRESH AIR podcast from NPR and why, why?

[Robert Franz]

Conductor Robert Franz says a good melody captures our attention and then it moves you through time. Music is architecture in time. If you engage in in the moment with what you're listening to, you do lose a sense of the time around you. How we experience time. That's on the TED Radio Hour from npr.

[Ari Shapiro]

It's consider this from npr. To understand how the federal government's changes to COVID vaccine policy will affect people's access to the shots, we reached out to Dr. Peter J. Hotez a I.

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

Helped develop a low cost COVID vaccine, 100 million doses in low and middle income countries. I develop other vaccines so I'm a vaccine scientist.

[Ari Shapiro]

Dr. Hotez is the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He told me about his initial reaction.

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

To the new guidance shock and disappointment because we know how important COVID vaccinations were both for pregnant women and for children, although for different reasons in the case for pregnant women. First of all, you know, as anyone, anyone who was working in an intensive care unit between 2020 and 2023 knows, pregnant women did not do well with COVID The virus on average, they had much higher rates of severe illness requiring hospitalizations or even intensive care unit monitoring. And sometimes they didn't survive. The data that we have so far suggests that if pregnant women were vaccinated against Covid, it had multiple benefits, predominantly including by one analysis suggesting a 90, 94% reduction in hospitalization for pregnant women who got vaccinated. So on top of that, getting vaccinated helped the newborn baby. The newborn infant, who could also be exposed to Covid, had much lower rates of hospitalization. So to me, it makes no sense.

[Ari Shapiro]

So that's pregnant women. On the question of healthy children, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said most countries have stopped recommending these vaccines for kids. Is that true? And if so, does it make sense for the US to follow?

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

You know, I think one of the problems with the way the current leadership of the FDA looks at Covid vaccines is very much the way they portrayed it when they were talking heads on Fox News, which is they were only looking at one parameter, which was case fatality rates or infection mortality rates, which of course are much lower in children, although a significant number of children do die annually from COVID But here's the part that they really, really missed the ball on, which is the impact of vaccinating children for long Covid. There was last year a very important study showing significant benefit for both children and adolescents and both the Delta wave in 2021 and the. And the Ba1Omicron wave in 2022 of preventing long Covid. So in their calculus, it doesn't look like the FDA at all is considering the impact of long Covid.

[Ari Shapiro]

If somebody still wants the shot despite the federal government's recomm, is insurance likely to cover it?

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

So this is where I'm going to give you a pretty. I don't know the answer to your question answer a pretty long one, which, which is. I don't think we know. First of all, you know, usually it's not the FDA signing off on the public health use of a vaccine. This is why we have a Centers for Disease Control. This is why we have an advisory committee of Immunization Practices, known as ACIP to make those recommendations. So the decision on how vaccines are used are typically made in collaboration between ACIP and the CDC director. And that's often the basis for recommending the vaccine for the Vaccines for Children's program for the insurers. And all of that now has been bypassed. So I think we're in kind of an unknown territory now. What does it mean that the FDA has skirted all of that or Health and Human Services and just kind of made this unilateral decision, which on top of that is not evidence based. So question one, what do the pharmacy chains do? Do they continue to offer vaccines for pregnant women or for kids? What do the pediatric practices do? That's question one. The next question is going to be will the insurance companies cover it? And then if that weren't confusing enough, if you remember the leadership of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. McCary, the FDA commissioner and the head of CBER, the Center for Biologics Evaluation, Dr. Vinay Prasad, issued a guidance document where they specifically said that pregnancy is, quote, a risk factor for warranting vaccinating individuals who might not otherwise qualify.

[Ari Shapiro]

And just to be clear, if it isn't covered by insurance, it's pretty expensive, right?

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

Well, it certainly can be. I know this. I was not very happy when Pfizer and Moderna, after they, after they took a lot of US taxpayer dollars, jacked up the price. I think at the last look it was around $130 a dose. So that, that is a significant expense for a lot of people.

[Ari Shapiro]

So bottom line, what is your advice for people who want to be as protected as they can be?

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

Certainly if for my daughter or loved one who was pregnant and I'd be very. And there was a lot of COVID transmission, I would strongly suggest that they get vaccinated to protect themselves and soon to be newborn infant for an adolescent or a child. If you're concerned about long Covid, I would also recommend keeping up with annual immunizations.

[Ari Shapiro]

And I suppose the same applies for a healthy kid or adolescent who lives with an elderly person or an immunocompromised person or someone else who might be vulnerable.

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

Yeah, and this is another consideration as well, both for those now made ineligible because they're considered healthy. You have to consider the fact that we have many also adults in their 50s and early 60s or 40s who are taking care of older parents and are worried about transmitting the virus to their parents. There is some impact on reduction of transmission in terms of virus shedding. So that's yet Another consideration that is.

[Ari Shapiro]

Dr. Peter J. Hotez, co director of the Texas Children's Hospital center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Thank you.

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

Thank you.

[Ari Shapiro]

This episode was Produced by Kai McNamee. It was edited by Tinbit Ermias with audio engineering support from Tiffany Vera Castro. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's consider this from NPR. I'm Ari Shapiro.

[Robert Franz]

As NPR's Daily Economics podcast, the Indicator, has been asking businesses how tariffs are affecting their bottom line. I paid 800,000.

[Dr. Peter J. Hotez]

You paid $800,000 in tariffs today? Yes. Wow.

[Robert Franz]

And what that means for your bottom line? Listen to the Indicator from Planet Money. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of short daily news podcasts focus on just one story. But right now, you probably need more. On up first from NPR, we bring you three of the world's top headlines every day in under 15 minutes because no one story can capture all that's happening in this big crazy world of ours on any given morning. Listen now to the up first podcast from npr. Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to Consider this Sponsor free through Amazon Music.