Shifting COVID vaccine Recommendations Spark Concern & Highlight Declining Vaccination Rates
Recent decisions regarding COVID-19 vaccine recommendations in the US have ignited debate and raised concerns among medical professionals, coinciding with a broader decline in childhood vaccination rates. The changes follow new restrictions imposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limiting this year’s Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax COVID-19 vaccines to individuals over 65, or those considered at high risk.
The shift in guidance was discussed by a CDC advisory panel, and drew criticism from experts like Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who described the decision-making process as “exceptionally vague” and warned of “real-time impacts on children.” O’Leary also expressed concern that the meeting involved intentional attempts to “sow distrust” about vaccines, characterizing it as “very, very strange.”
Despite data from the CDC demonstrating that COVID-19 vaccines effectively protect against severe illness and death - tho not infection itself – uptake remains low. Last year, only 44% of seniors and 13% of children received timely vaccinations against the updated coronavirus strains. Panel member Cody Meissner of Dartmouth College voiced concern that recommendations not followed by the public are ineffective.
The discussion also revisited a rare side affect observed early in the vaccination rollout – myocarditis, a type of cardiac inflammation, primarily affecting young men.
The panel, notably including appointees by Robert Kennedy Jr., a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine movement, convened as COVID-19 continues to pose a public health threat. CDC data released in June indicated the virus caused an estimated 32,000 to 51,000 deaths and over 250,000 hospitalizations during the last fall and winter season. the elderly and unvaccinated children are at the highest risk of hospitalization.
Despite the panel’s decision, major medical organizations like the US Academy of Pediatrics continue to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older, including pregnant women. Several states are also proactively working to ensure continued access to the vaccines. america’s Health Insurance Plans, representing most health insurers, has committed to covering COVID-19 vaccines through 2026.
Beyond COVID-19, the panel postponed a decision regarding the longstanding CDC recommendation for worldwide Hepatitis B vaccination at birth. Thay did, however, reaffirm a 2009 preference for administering the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and varicella (chickenpox) vaccines as separate injections for the initial doses in children under four. Currently, 85% of young children already receive these vaccines separately.
These discussions occur against a backdrop of declining vaccination rates across the board. Measles vaccination rates among preschool children have fallen from 95% in 2019 to 92.5% in 2024, contributing to the worst measles epidemic in the US in over 30 years, with three deaths, including two children, in 2025. A recent poll by The Washington Post and KFF found that one in six parents are avoiding or postponing recommended vaccinations for their children, indicating a growing lack of confidence in vaccines and health authorities, despite the majority still supporting existing vaccination requirements.
