• Posted October 7, 2025

CDC Leaves COVID Vaccination Up to Patients

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped its recommendation that all Americans receive routine COVID-19 shots, leaving the decision up to patients and doctors.

The shift follows new guidance from a panel of vaccine advisers appointed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who fired the CDC’s longstanding vaccine advisory group earlier this year. 

Until now, the CDC had recommended annual COVID boosters for everyone 6 months and older.

But the new panel — created by Kennedy, who has publicly questioned vaccine safety — voted last month to remove that recommendation. The CDC signed off on the change this week.

"Informed consent is back," Interim CDC Director Jim O’Neill said as he approved the move.

"Past guidance deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination," he said.

However, some doctors criticized the statement, noting that informed consent has always been part of the vaccine process.

“To make a statement that informed consent is back implies that it had gone away. In no way has it gone away,” Dr. Jesse Hackell, a retired New York pediatrician who has coauthored several American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine policies, told The Associated Press.

Major medical organizations continue to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women, children and adults at higher risk of serious illness. 

They argue that the administration’s new stance could mislead the public about vaccine safety, which has been proven in billions of doses given worldwide.

The CDC also said patients, especially older adults, should consult with their doctors, nurses or pharmacists about whether vaccination is right for them.

Further, the decision also clears the way for the government’s Vaccines for Children program to continue offering free COVID shots to eligible families.

In a separate update, the CDC also accepted a panel recommendation that children under age 4 receive their first chickenpox (varicella) shot separately from the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. 

Research has shown that the combination shot carries a higher risk of fever and related seizures.

Since 2009, the CDC has preferred giving these shots separately for first doses, and about 85% of toddlers already receive the varicella vaccine on its own, the agency said.

More information

Learn more about the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new immunization schedule.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, Oct. 6, 2025