Kids and COVID Shots: What's the Best Move?

There's a big debate going on about whether young kids should get COVID shots. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says yes, especially for kids between 6 months and 2 years old. They think these kids are more likely to get really sick from COVID. But not everyone agrees. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , who's in charge of Health and Human Services, has a different opinion. He thinks healthy kids don't need the vaccine. He says there's not enough proof that it helps. This has caused a lot of confusion among doctors and parents. The AAP is sticking to its guns. They say they make their recommendations based on what's best for kids' health. But Kennedy's team says the AAP might be influenced by money from vaccine makers. They think the AAP is more worried about business than kids' health. Right now, not many parents are getting their kids vaccinated. Only about 13% of eligible kids are up-to-date on their COVID shots. And only 4. 5% of kids between 6 months and 2 years old have had the vaccine. The AAP is trying to change that. They say that even though most kids won't get very sick from COVID, some might. And if more kids get vaccinated, it could help protect everyone. But it's hard to know for sure because so few kids have had the shot. The government is still figuring out what to do. They haven't approved or recommended the latest COVID vaccine yet. And the group that usually makes these decisions, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has been changed. Now, four of the seven members have been critical of giving COVID vaccines to kids. Insurance companies are still deciding what to do. They usually cover vaccines that the ACIP recommends. But the AAP is talking to them to make sure they'll cover COVID shots even if the ACIP doesn't recommend them. The AAP's full vaccine guide was published recently. It includes recommendations for 18 different diseases. For flu and RSV, they agree with what the government has said. But for COVID, they're going their own way.