Makary said such a move would be ‘warmly welcomed’ by many Americans.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary said on April 24 that he would support Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if he moves to withdraw the federal government’s recommendation for children to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Most Americans do not believe in the COVID booster shot for young, healthy children at this point,” Makary
said during remarks at Semafor’s World Economy Summit. “So if he [Kennedy] does something with the COVID vaccine in children, I think it’ll be warmly welcomed by a lot of Americans.”
Makary, a vocal critic of vaccine mandates during the pandemic, said he continues to believe vaccines save lives. He also noted that he has not received any COVID-19 boosters himself. He also confirmed that the FDA has no current plans to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone, although the agency remains open to reviewing new safety data.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has
not denied reports that he is considering removing COVID-19 shots from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) childhood vaccine schedule. During a recent appearance on Fox News, he called the original COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for children “dubious.”
“It was dubious because kids had almost no risk for COVID-19,” he said. “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.”
The CDC
added the COVID-19 vaccine to the childhood schedule in 2023 following advisory panel recommendations, though the shot is not a requirement for school attendance in any state. Only about 13 percent of children have received the most recent formulation,
according to CDC data.
Kennedy said during his confirmation hearings that he would uphold the CDC vaccine schedule, but his remarks this week suggest the administration is open to reassessing some components.
A Health and Human Services official told The Epoch Times earlier that “no final decision has been made.”
Supporters of the withdrawal include Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) and former FDA officer Jessica Adams, who said public acceptance of any change would be stronger if it followed a formal CDC advisory process. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to confirm Kennedy, said he is confident that any review would reaffirm the “settled science” behind the safety of the vaccine schedule. CDC advisers are expected to revisit their COVID-19 vaccine guidance for children this summer.
Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
