Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is ushering in a new era of COVID-19 vaccine guidance in the U.S. as global coronavirus activity is on the rise and a new variant is spreading.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to revoke the Covid vaccine recommendation for pregnant women has raised alarm among OB-GYNs.

In some cases, "symptoms can escalate to more severe respiratory distress," infectious disease expert Dr. Tyler Evans told Newsweek.

Vaccine manufacturers plan to issue updated COVID-19 shots in the late summer or fall. But the Food and Drug Administration has said it plans to limit approval of seasonal shots to seniors and others at high risk, pending more studies of everyone else.

Kennedy's move appears to shortcut the CDC's outside vaccine advisers, dropping COVID vaccines from the list recommended for children and pregnant women.

President Trump issued a full and unconditional pardon to a former U.S. army officer convicted of refusing to follow COVID-19 safety rules.

Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that his agency would no longer recommend the coronavirus vaccine for healthy pregnant women and healthy children — an unprecedented move that bypasses the traditional system of vaccine advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. upended decades of standard protocol in announcing that the vaccine would be dropped from the immunization schedule for healthy children.

Abrupt switch left Minnesota doctors concerned about impact on vaccine hesitancy, insurers uncertain about future vaccine coverage policies.