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The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended Covid vaccines for pregnant women in its updated immunization schedule issued Friday, signaling another split between practicing doctors and the nation’s top health official. Women should get immunized when planning to become pregnant, during pregnancy or when lactating, according to the premier US organization for physicians who specialize in women’s health. (Nix, 8/22)

The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) recent pediatric COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, which differ from those of the CDC, have raised concerns from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who responded with an oblique warning to any physicians who might follow the AAP's advice. "AAP should ... be candid with doctors and hospitals that recommendations that diverge from the CDC's official list are not shielded from liability under the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act," Kennedy posted this week on X. (Frieden, 8/22)

A task force formed by an influential advisory committee to review the safety of Covid vaccines will be led by a panel member who has described the shots as “the most failing medical product in the history of medical products.” That member, Retsef Levi, is a management and health analytics expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve on the larger advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Jewett, 8/22)

US health authorities have suspended the license for the Ixchiq vaccine against the chikungunya virus following reports of "serious adverse events," the drug's French maker said Monday. Ixchiq is one of just two vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the mosquito-spread virus, which mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical regions but has recently been discovered in countries worldwide. (Zinin, 8/25)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised before his confirmation that he would not take away Americans’ vaccines. But in the four months since he took office, Kennedy, who has a lengthy history of disparaging vaccines, has undermined that access while agreeing to recommend some vaccines, such as the seasonal flu shot. (Sun, Weber and Roubein, 8/22)

Nobody knew what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was going to say. Inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., a crowd howled as he walked onto a stage sizzling with pyrotechnics, the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” blaring. “I don’t think I’ve ever introduced anyone that got applause like he just got. I must tell you, it’s true,” said then-candidate Donald Trump. (Cueto, 8/25)

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is already working to rally his MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement as a critical constituency for keeping GOP control of Congress in next year's midterms. The RFK Jr. coalition draws several slices of voters who otherwise might shun MAGA, including some traditionally Democratic- and independent-leaning suburbanites, women and younger voters. (Isenstadt, 8/24)