WASHINGTON, DC – APhA is the only pharmacy representative among several professional organizations that reviews and evaluates the ACIP Adult Immunization Schedule annually. Recently, there have been several updates to the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations made by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These changes include removing the recommendation for people who are pregnant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Studies have shown that people who are pregnant or were recently pregnant are:
- More likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to those who are not.
- More likely to need hospitalization, intensive care, or the use of a ventilator or special equipment to breathe if they do get sick from COVID-19.
- At increased risk of complications that can affect pregnancy and the baby, including preterm birth or stillbirth.
COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been proven safe and effective. Additionally, this vaccine is not associated with any fertility issues in either women or men.
APhA’s stance is that pregnancy is a high-risk condition; therefore, people who are pregnant should be recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The May 2025 updates to the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations do not appear to be based on the scientific evidence provided over the past few years.
Considering this recent change, APhA has decided to withhold endorsing the current ACIP Adult Immunization Schedule issued on May 28, 2025. This decision was proposed by a group of APhA members who are immunization subject matter experts and approved by the APhA Board of Trustees.
APhA requests, and is hopeful, that future updates of the Adult Immunization Schedule be based on scientific evidence and would reconsider its endorsement upon the schedule being discussed and recommended by ACIP.
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