U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed pregnancy as a condition that puts individuals at high risk for COVID-related complications. Moreover, health care experts have been encouraging annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.
Benefits of Vaccinations
Being vaccinated can provide major health benefits including protecting communities from life-altering and life-threatening illnesses.
The COVID-19 vaccine is a more trustworthy method to build immunity as opposed to contracting the virus itself, and can help reduce the risk of severe illness, including hospitalization and death.
When a significant portion of the population is vaccinated, it helps to slow the spread of the virus, protecting those who are at higher risk of severe illness. In addition to children and pregnant women, this includes the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.
Maternal vaccination during pregnancy reduced the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization by around 54% among infants during the first 3 months of life.
About COVID-19
COVID-19 continues to cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States.
It was the 10th leading cause of death in 2023.
For more information, visit CDC.gov or speak with your healthcare provider.
