A big announcement came on Tuesday from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr..


The covid vaccine's no longer recommended for healthy kids and pregnant women. The move's not sitting well with some infectious disease experts, including Dr. Becky Dawson.


Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been an anti-vaccine advocate for years before becoming Health Secretary, said the annual covid booster shots have been recommended for kids, "despite the lack of any clinical data".
A number of infectious disease experts, like Erie News Now Contributor Dr. Becky Dawson, said they want to see all the data on the vaccine's impact. "So we haven't looked at the data. We haven't had a scientific discussion or a debate. There's been, no, you know, nobody has pulled all the scientific information together to actually give us a clear picture of what actually is happening. Instead, we have political decisions being made by, you know, political appointees", said Dr. Dawson.


Dawson said the move also takes the vaccine off the list of what insurance will cover,  "Obviously, when CDC pulls that vaccine from the list of required vaccines, that means most insurance companies will no longer cover that, so that's the big policy decision that when CDC says, we're removing it. Most insurance companies say we're not going to pay for it at any point in time, so I think that that's how that's really going to play out in terms of all of our lives."


It all comes as a new covid variant's led to a increase in covid hospitalizations in China, along with climbing case numbers in the U.S. 

"I don't think we're at the point where we're like. You know, stay home, mask up that type of thing, but I think that, um. You know, it is one of those moments where we're watching. We're being very careful. We're trying to understand what's happening in other parts of the world so that we can be prepared here in the united states. For, you know, anything that might happen", said Dr. Dawson.