The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released its annual immunization schedule for children, which includes vaccines for COVID-19, flu, and RSV. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) decision to no longer recommend the vaccine for children under certain conditions, the AAP advises all children over 6 months old to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This recommendation is based on the high risk of severe illness among infants and young children.
The AAP notes that hospitalization rates for young children with underlying medical conditions remain high, similar to other vaccine-preventable diseases. As a result, the organization recommends vaccinating healthy older children who are at high risk of severe COVID-19, have never been vaccinated before, or live with people who are at a high risk of severe disease.
The updated schedule includes immunizations against 18 diseases, including the pentavalent meningococcal vaccine and changes to the human papilloma virus vaccine. The AAP’s recommendation differs from the CDC’s recent guidance, which calls for “shared clinical decision-making” between parents and healthcare providers.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/medical-group-goes-against-cdc-recommend-covid-shots-young-kids