COVID Vaccine Realities for 2025–26

Information on COVID vaccines is moving fast. On May 27th, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID vaccines will no longer be universally recommended for healthy children or healthy pregnant women. That's a big shift, and understandably, it's raised a lot of questions. We're going to cut through the noise and take a look at where things really stand, who's getting vaccinated, how current guidance is evolving, and what this means for both children and adults as we look ahead to the next respiratory season.  Joining us to help sort it all out is Dr. John Schoen, Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information at Vizient.

 

 

Guest speakers: 

John Schoen, PharmD, BCPS 

Senior Clinical Manager of Drug Information  

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence 

 

Host: 

Stacy Lauderdale, PharmD, BCPS 

Associate Vice President

Vizient Center for Pharmacy Practice Excellence 

 

Show Notes: 

[01:38-05:32] What changed in the recent CDC update for healthy children

[05:33-09:32] Discussion of COVID-19 outcomes and vaccination in children

[09:33-11:47] Specific risk factors for pediatric patients

[11:48-12:47] Is the US an outlier for not universally recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and making no recommendation in healthy pregnant women?

[12:48-14:03] The FDA’s proposed regulatory framework for COVID-19 vaccine approval

[14:04-15:18] FDA’s approach to implementing revised requirements for randomized controlled trials

[15:19-16:57] Key discussion points from the May meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

[17:00-18:27] Topics requiring further clarification about COVID-19 vaccine

 

Links | Resources:

Vizient resources:

• Minute Market Insight: Potential ACIP COVID-19 recommendation changes April 2025: https://www.vizientinc.com/download?342668
• Minute Market Insight: May 2025 COVID-19 vaccine recommendation and policy updates: https://www.vizientinc.com/download?352336

Additional resources:

• FDA perspective piece published in NEJM: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsb2506929
• ACIP meeting information: https://www.cdc.gov/acip/meetings/index.html
• CDC childhood immunization schedule: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/imz-schedules/child-adolescent-age.html
• CDC adult immunization schedule by medical condition: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/imz-schedules/adult-medical-condition.html
• CDC RESP-NET: https://www.cdc.gov/resp-net/dashboard/
• WHO COVID-19 dashboard: https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/deaths
• MMWR - COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations and Maternal Vaccination Among Infants Aged <6 Months: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7338a1.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• MMWR – MIS-C, US 2023: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7310a2.htm

 

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