RFK Jr. Responds to Report He’s Considering Removing COVID-19 Vaccines From CDC Schedule

‘We shouldn’t be making recommendations that are not good for the population,’ the health secretary said.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Washington on April 22, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 23 did not deny that he’s considering removing COVID-19 vaccines from the childhood vaccination schedule.

“We need to ask questions and we need to consult with parents, we need to give people informed consent, and we shouldn’t be making recommendations that are not good for the population,” Kennedy said during an appearance on Fox News.

Politico, citing anonymous sources, reported this week that Kennedy is mulling the removal of COVID-19 shots from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s schedule for children.

An official with the Department of Health and Human Services, which Kennedy heads, told The Epoch Times in an email that “no final decision has been made.”

The CDC, which is part of the department, did not return an inquiry.

Kennedy said on Fox that President Donald Trump does not believe that any person should be required to receive a vaccine, and noted that all vaccines carry risks.

“The COVID vaccine, the recommendation for kids was always dubious,” Kennedy said. “And it was dubious because kids had almost no risk for COVID-19. Some kids—certain kids that had very profound morbidities—may have a slight risk. Most kids don’t, so why are we giving this to tens of millions of kids? Because the vaccine itself does have profound risks.”

Kennedy noted that established side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine include a form of heart inflammation called myocarditis and a related condition called pericarditis. He also pointed out that 15 vaccinated participants in Pfizer’s clinical trial died, compared with 14 participants who did not receive the company’s vaccine.

Three COVID-19 vaccines are currently available for use in the United States: one from Pfizer, one from Moderna, and one from Novavax.

Advisers to the CDC recommended in 2022 that the agency add COVID-19 vaccines to the schedule, concluding that the benefits of the shots outweighed the risks. The CDC in 2023 added them to the schedule.

According to the schedule, all children who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine should receive at least one dose, depending on their age, while those who have received a vaccine in the past should receive at least one additional dose. Unlike many vaccines on the schedule, the COVID-19 vaccine has not been made compulsory for school attendance in states.

Kennedy said during his confirmation hearings, “I recommend that children follow the CDC schedule, and I will support the CDC schedule when I get in there if I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, who had been considering voting against Kennedy, said in a speech on the Senate floor that Kennedy committed to maintaining the vaccine schedule without changes. Cassidy later wrote on social media platform X that the commitment “never precluded him from conducting sound scientific research” and that he was “confident any reputable review will further confirm settled science of the safety and efficacy of the childhood vaccine schedule.”

Only 13 percent of children have received one of the COVID-19 vaccines with the 2024–2025 formula, according to CDC data.

Children could still get a COVID-19 vaccine if it is removed from the schedule, but insurance may not pay for it if the removal happens.

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), also a physician, wrote on X, “Secretary Kennedy would be well within his right to reverse the CDC’s Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for children.” Harris said he has been concerned that the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children “were based on politics rather than science.”

The CDC’s advisers recently discussed telling the agency to narrow its COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. The advisers plan to convene again over the summer to weigh the matter.

Jessica Adams, a former officer with the Food and Drug Administration, said on X that she supports updating the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations but that having the advisers back a change “would be helpful for the full public to embrace this move.”

Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately listed Dr. Harris as a Democrat. The Epoch Times regrets the error.