The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released its updated recommendations for vaccines, including Covid-19 shots for infants and young children. The AAP’s recommendations differ from those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was recently overhauled by a new advisory committee.
According to the AAP, all children aged 6-23 months should receive a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have known allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients. For older children, a single dose of the vaccine is recommended if they are at high risk of Covid-19, reside in long-term care facilities, or live with people who are high-risk.
The AAP has provided its own vaccine schedule and recommendations for over 90 years but has not traditionally diverged from federal recommendations. However, tensions have been rising between the AAP and those driving federal health policy, particularly around changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, stated that the AAP did not participate in the ACIP meeting due to concerns over the legitimacy of the new committee members. The AAP has since issued its own recommendations and urged insurance providers to cover the vaccines included in their schedule.
The Vaccine Integrity Project has reviewed data from thousands of research papers assessing the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19, flu, and RSV vaccines. Their findings are consistent with the latest recommendations from the AAP. The project’s director, Dr. Michael Osterholm, emphasized the importance of relying on evidence-based information for vaccine decisions.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has responded to the AAP’s immunization schedule by calling for stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards and a ban on financial influence. However, the AAP remains committed to evidence-based recommendations and its long history of supporting children’s access to vaccines.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/19/health/covid-vaccine-recommendation-aap