Joshua Fitch

In a major shift, the CDC has pulled routine COVID-19 vaccine guidance for healthy children and pregnant women, sparking sharp reactions from medical leaders.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising providers to prioritize 100 mg doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody FDA-approved to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), for infants at the highest risk of severe RSV disease.

This combination vaccine candidate, with a safety profile consistent with Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, will most likely be moving to a phase 3 trial in the coming months.

FDA approved emergency use of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine (NVX-CoV2601) for ages 12 years and older. It also protects against current variants.

According to a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the original COVID-19 monovalent and bivalent vaccines helped reduce emergency department or urgent care encounters for children aged 6 months to 5 years.

Pfizer's Abrysvo vaccine prevents RSV-induced LRTD in infants. It's given as a single-dose injection to pregnant individuals between 32 to 36 weeks of gestation.