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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says CDC removed COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women; statement misidentifies HHS
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Summary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a recorded statement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had removed the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women from its recommended immunization schedule and that the statement was produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a recorded statement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had removed the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women from its recommended immunization schedule and that the statement was “Produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
Kennedy identified others as accompanying him but the transcript contains no documentation, citation, or supporting official notice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirming a change to the CDC recommended immunization schedule.
"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," Kennedy said. He also said, "Produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." Those statements appear in the meeting transcript but the transcript does not supply any formal CDC or HHS record, regulation, or reference that would document such a change.
The speaker in the transcript introduced himself as "your HHS secretary." Public records identify Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a private citizen and public figure; he is not the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary. The transcript also names Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makary as present; the record does not include statements from them in the provided excerpts.
Kennedy additionally said, "It's common sense, and it's good science. There's no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopped recommending it for children." The transcript does not include data, citations, or agency findings to support that assertion.
The transcript refers to the "Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot," but it provides no citation to a federal policy change, guidance document, or meeting record showing that the CDC or HHS adopted the actions Kennedy described. The provided excerpt is a public statement in which claims about federal policy are asserted without accompanying official documentation in the transcript.
The record available for this article is limited to the excerpted statement; the transcript does not show any formal action, vote, or official posting by CDC or HHS that would effect a change to the recommended immunization schedule. Additional reporting or direct confirmation from the CDC or HHS would be required to verify the claims in the statement.
For context, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains the recommended immunization schedule through advisory and administrative processes; this transcript does not include an advisory vote, published guidance, or a CDC press release corroborating the statements attributed to Kennedy.
