Diverging U.S. Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance Marks First Break in Three Decades

Washington, D.C., August 26, 2025 - In a historic split, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) today issued differing COVID-19 vaccination guidelines for children, marking the first time in 30 years that the two organizations have publicly broken ranks on immunization policy.

The CDC’s updated schedule maintains a risk-based recommendation for healthy children aged 6 months to 17 years, advising vaccination primarily for those at high risk of severe disease. In contrast, the AAP continues to endorse routine COVID-19 vaccination for all children six months and older, citing emerging evidence of safety and effectiveness and emphasizing parental choice.

Meanwhile, nationwide SARS-CoV-2 transmission is on the rise:

• Infection Growth Across States CDC modeling indicates COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 36 states, with zero states showing a declining trend.
• Wastewater Indicators Surge Data from WastewaterSCAN reveal high and increasing viral levels-particularly in the West, South, and Midwest-largely driven by the XFG (“Stratus”) variant, which now accounts for approximately two-thirds of U.S. wastewater detections.

Healthcare experts warn that waning immunity and cooler weather may fuel further increases, underscoring the importance of continued vaccination efforts and vigilant surveillance as the nation enters the fall respiratory-virus season.