Washington DC - Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has responded after a pediatrician group broke with his agency on vaccine recommendations.

On Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced the release of its own "evidence-based immunization schedule," which gave guidance for influenza, RSV, and Covid-19 immunizations for children.

In particular, the AAP recommends children between 6 and 23 months old should be prioritized to receive Covid-19 vaccines because the virus "continues to result in hospitalization and death in the pediatric population," and young children are "especially vulnerable."

Kennedy – a longtime anti-vaccine advocate – responded with an X post describing the schedule as "corporate-friendly," pointing to the fact that the AAP has accepted donations from several pharmaceutical companies that produce Covid vaccines, which he described as "a conflict of interest."

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He went on to claim the schedule was part of a "pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions of AAP's Big Pharma benefactors."

The group's guidance notably differs from a schedule released in May by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which removed past recommendations that children 6 months and older should receive Covid shots.

At the time, Kennedy, described the change as "common sense" and "good science."

According to Politico, the corporate donors actually gave money to support the AAP's Friends of Children Fund, which backs projects promoting children's health and health equity.