Kennedy’s decision to “retire” the previous 17-member panel was widely decried by doctors’ groups and public health organizations, who feared the advisers would be replaced by a group aligned with Kennedy’s desire to reassess — and possibly end — longstanding vaccination recommendations.

As promised, federal health officials this week dropped longstanding recommendations that healthy children and healthy pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccines.

Health officials are tracking a highly contagious new COVID-19 variant. This comes as confusion grows over vaccine recommendations moving forward.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced more key changes to the CDC recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination. Two health experts answer questions about what the changes mean.

A medical officer at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was working on the committee that was weighing changes to the agency’s Covid-19 vaccine recommendations resigned on Friday, the same day officials the US Department of Health and Human Services announced they had removed the CDC recommendation for pregnant women and healthy children to get Covid-19 vaccines.

The resignation follows an order by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to change the agency's guidance.