The United States Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced unilaterally on Tuesday that he has removed the recommendation for healthy children and pregnant individuals without preexisting medical conditions to receive Covid-19 booster doses.
The measure, which is unprecedented, has caused strong support in society and in the medical and scientific community, and has been widely criticized by sectors affiliated with the Democratic Party in health.
The announcement was made through a brief video published on the social network X, where Kennedy appears alongside Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Marty Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The decision has been strongly supported to a large extent after a vast number of adverse effects of the aforementioned vaccine became known.
Kennedy and his allies correctly argue that the decision is based on the precautionary principle and on emerging evidence suggesting that the risks of the booster in these groups might not justify its benefits in contexts of low transmission and in the presence of less severe variants. Bhattacharya, director of the NIH, described the measure as "common sense and good science."
Among the benefits highlighted by supporters of the measure is a reduction in unnecessary exposure to medications in people at low risk, less pressure on families and health professionals, and greater freedom of choice for parents and pregnant individuals.
