Covid and flu shots in limbo as Trump administration mulls appeal over vaccine panel [View all]

Source: NBC News

March 27, 2026, 11:14 AM EDT


More than a week after a federal judge blocked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of both the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule and a key vaccine advisory committee, the Justice Department has yet to appeal the decision — and ultimately may not.

The Justice Department has 60 days to appeal the decision, which would be by May 15. One HHS official with knowledge of the situation said that no final decision has been made on the agency’s next steps regarding the lawsuit.

It’s the latest example of uncertainty under Kennedy’s leadership. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been without a director for months, with no sign of a new nominee waiting in the wings. And confirmation for his pick for the next surgeon general, Casey Means, appears to have stalled in the Senate.

Meanwhile, work that would normally be ongoing among independent vaccine experts charged with making recommendations to the federal government has stalled indefinitely. Planned meetings about this fall’s flu and Covid shots, for example, are in limbo.

“All the work, as far as I know, has ceased, putting us in a tremendous deficit in recommendations,” said Dr. Jason Goldman, president of the American College of Physicians. “It’s just horrifying to contemplate what damage has been done.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-flu-shots-limbo-trump-rfk-jr-vaccine-panel-appeal-rcna265131