Covid-19 shots for kids still recommended by US paediatric group in break with CDC

WASHINGTON – The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) updated its recommendations for immunisations on Aug 19, including calling for Covid-19 shots for healthy kids, diverging from controversial advice from the US federal government.

The group said it recommends the Covid-19 shot for children from 23 months old to six years old.

Earlier in 2025, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr changed advice that had been in place since the pandemic, saying

AAP has released its own recommendations since the 1930s.

The group broke from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2025 after Mr Kennedy

with people who have spread misinformation around vaccines.

The revamped Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices – or Acip – said it would re-evaluate the childhood immunisation schedule at a meeting in June.

Mr Kennedy’s moves around vaccines have raised concern among public health experts, who have warned life-saving shots could become harder to access.

In response, medical groups have taken additional steps to publicise their vaccine guidelines and have urged insurers to cover shots they recommend.

“The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunisations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents,” AAP President Susan Kressly said in a statement.

HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in response to the new schedule that the group “is undermining national immunisation policymaking with baseless political attacks”. 

He added it should “keep its publications free from financial influence”, without further elaborating.

AAP said it had no conflicts of interest and has been making vaccine recommendations longer than Acip has existed.

In May, the CDC updated its website to say healthy children “may receive Covid-19 vaccination, informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider”.

Previously, it recommended everyone six months or older get vaccinated. 

In its schedule, AAP also removed a hepatitis vaccine that is no longer available, and recommended children under eight months old receive the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.

It called for influenza shots for children as young as six months ahead of the flu season.

Kids between nine years old and 12 years old should receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, compared with the previous recommendation of a starting dose at 11 years, according to the new guidelines.

The changes in vaccination schedules come as confusion mounts for parents.

Acip decides which shots will be covered by insurance companies or federally funded through the Vaccines For Children Programme.

By breaking with Acip, questions remain on which shots will be covered by insurance or readily available in clinics.

“The AAP urges every insurer to cover all the vaccines that are included in this immunisation schedule,” Dr Kressly said.

A new group, formed after Mr Kennedy revamped Acip, is also trying to guide which shots are recommended.

The Vaccine Integrity Project, led by University of Minnesota researchers and public health officials, gathered existing data on vaccines for Covid-19, RSV and flu shots and presented their findings on Aug 19 to professional societies, such as AAP, to help the organisations to develop their schedules.

There are limitations in the data that the researchers were able to analyse.

The Vaccine Integrity Project was not able to look at unpublished vaccine trial data or ongoing trials, and only analysed data presented to Acip in the past or peer reviewed, published literature.

The group found no safety concerns over pregnant women taking the Covid-19 vaccine and that the shot was effective in preventing hospitalisations for children.

Dr Jake Scott, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University, said the group’s work is ongoing. BLOOMBERG

United StatesCovid-19VaccinesChildren and youthHealth and well-being