RFK Jr.'s bizarre Covid vaccine claims brutally shot down by his own agency
Washington DC - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the CDC was reversing Covid-19 vaccine guidance was promptly contradicted by the agency he oversees as health secretary.
The CDC on Friday issued advice recommending Covid-19 shots for healthy children between six months and 17 years old, contradicting a claim made by the Health and Human Service chief days before.
This new advice comes with a caveat: that children and their caregivers should consult with their primary care doctor before moving ahead with vaccinations and exercise "shared decision-making," the New York Times reported.
There was no guidance for pregnant women.
In a video statement posted on X Tuesday, RFK Jr. said: "As of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule."
"Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another Covid shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children."
CDC found out about changes to Covid-19 advice on social media
Per the Washington Post, the CDC was blindsided by RFK Jr.'s announcement.
"People were scrambling to find out what it meant," one official told the Washington Post, referring to the hours after he posted the clip on X.
When a directive arrived via a letter that afternoon, it added to confusion because it was dated May 19, more than a week before, leading to questions about whether a mistake had been made at the top of the HHS.
Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said that while the CDC bypassed RFK Jr.'s directive, the incident will do lasting damage.
"They’ve made it much less insurable, and therefore this could make it much less available for people," he told the Washington Post. "It's a continued war against vaccines by our secretary of health and human services."
"His goal is to make vaccines less available, less affordable and more feared. That's his goal, and this is what he’s doing."
Cover photo: AFP/Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images