CDC vaccine committee drops push to stop recommending mRNA Covid-19 shots, for now

A group of experts that advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its vaccine recommendations has suspended an anticipated push to stop recommending mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines amid growing concerns inside the Trump administration over its political risks, people familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday.

The move comes as polling shows that Americans – even voters who favor the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement – strongly support vaccines. There’s increasing concern among Republicans that further attacks on vaccines will harm the party’s chances in November, and the White House has pushed health officials to focus on more politically appealing issues ahead of the midterm elections.

The plan to stop recommending mRNA Covid shots has been shelved only for the time being, according to the people familiar, and could be still revived at some point in the coming months.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that the CDC’s committee “has not reconsidered its September 2025 decision to classify COVID vaccines under shared clinical decision-making on the CDC immunization schedules.”