CINCINNATI — Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations by the CDC while flanked by leadership from the NIH and FDA in a post on X on Tuesday.
The move pulls recommendations that "healthy children" and pregnant women take vaccine boosters.
"Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children get yet another COVID shot despite any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy," Kennedy said in his announcement.
Former Ohio Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Chris Peltier said the announcement left him worried and frustrated.
WATCH: We spoke with a local medical official about the vaccine changes
"With all of the talk leading up to this, I guess I'm not surprised," Peltier said.
We wanted to know what you thought of the changes, and the post attracted more than 1,000 comments in a few hours.
Peltier said the vast majority of comments being negative toward the vaccine or outright rejecting it were concerning, as pregnant women remain at high risk of complications from the coronavirus, and while children aren't at as much risk, they can still get seriously ill.
"That doesn't mean that young children don't get COVID, that they don't get hospitalized, and that they don't die," he said.
The pediatrician also said the retraction of CDC recommendations for COVID vaccines could open the door for private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid to deny insurance coverage for the vaccines.
"One of the downstream effects that I think it really causes more confusion and potentially a mistrust of vaccines," he said.
We asked Peltier if he thought it was possible for "experts" to regain the trust of many people who've become skeptical of vaccines.
"That's a great question," he said. "I think, unfortunately, we can't predict the future, and I don't know. I think we have to do, though, as pediatricians, as healthcare providers, is continuing to talk about what the evidence shows."
Peltier's said anyone with concerns about vaccines should consult their primary physician.
