US Vaccine Advisory Panel Stops Recommending COVID-19 Vaccines for Adults

Fri Sep 26 2025 15:53:12 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a significant policy shift, the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted against recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for adults, citing a need for individual assessment and consultation with medical professionals.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in the United States has ceased recommending COVID-19 vaccines for all adults, marking a drastic change in vaccination guidance that has been in place since the pandemic's onset. This decision follows a controversial period characterized by the appointment of new committee members nominated by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has expressed skepticism towards vaccines. During recent meetings, the committee emphasized that adults should consult healthcare providers for vaccination decisions instead of adhering to blanket recommendations. The panel also delayed a vote on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns, suggesting ongoing doubt about vaccine protocols and raising concerns among medical professionals and parents alike.

A key US vaccine advisory committee has voted to stop recommending all adults get the Covid-19 vaccine, which has until now been officially approved for most Americans annually since the pandemic.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) also narrowly voted against advocating prescriptions for the Covid vaccine.

In two days of meetings, ACIP changed its recommendations on the combined measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) vaccine, and delayed plans for a vote on the hepatitis B vaccine.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine sceptic, fired all 17 members of the committee in June and handpicked their successors, sparking uproar in the medical community.

The panel spent Friday debating the Covid-19 vaccine, which has for the past several years been a routine recommendation, like the yearly flu jab.

ACIP voted to abandon broad support for recommending the jab, including for high-risk populations like people aged over 65. Instead, it decided they could make their own decisions after discussing with a medical professional.

In May, the federal government stopped recommending Covid-19 vaccines for healthy pregnant women and children.

In one exchange on Friday, Kennedy's ally Dr. Robert Malone argued there was no evidence that the Covid vaccine prevented serious infection.

Dr. Cody Meissner, once part of the Food and Drug Administration's vaccines panel, argued there is pretty well-defined data that the jab protects against infection.

There was confusion during the debate over the MMRV vaccine. On Thursday, the panel voted against recommending the combined MMRV shot for children aged four and under, but on Friday they decided to endorse two separate jabs.

The American Medical Association criticized the new MMRV recommendations, stating they leave parents confused.

The panel also delayed a vote on whether newborns whose mothers have tested negative for hepatitis B during pregnancy should automatically receive a jab for the liver virus, raising further questions about vaccine safety and efficacy.

Since he took office, Kennedy has scrutinized vaccinations, replacing members of the vaccine advisory panel and dismissing its chief, provoking senior staff resignations. This has led to widespread criticism from health experts.