OB-GYN group makes vaccine recommendations for the first time

Key Points:

• The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) released its own vaccine recommendations for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, differing from recent U.S. government guidance altered under the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• ACOG's immunization schedule endorses four vaccines during pregnancy: flu, COVID-19, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis), and RSV, with specific timing recommendations, and also suggests other vaccines based on risk factors or timing relative to pregnancy.
• The major divergence is on the COVID-19 vaccine, which ACOG continues to recommend during pregnancy, contrasting with Kennedy's May announcement that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer advised for healthy pregnant women and children.
• The new schedule has backing from 13 other medical societies and aims to combat vaccine misinformation, which healthcare providers report is widespread and often fueled by non-scientific information on social media.
• Other professional groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have also issued vaccine schedules differing from the CDC’s, reflecting ongoing debate and legal challenges surrounding vaccine guidance in the U.S.