The health and human services secretary said that annual COVID shots are no longer recommended for healthy children.

On May 29, the Centers for Disease Control updated its childhood immunization schedule to say that healthy kids between the ages of 6 months and 17 years “may receive” COVID vaccines “informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances.

Many agree that the original course of vaccination offered significant protection against serious illness in children. Data from the C.D.C. shows that two or more doses of Covid vaccines were 40 percent effective at preventing emergency room visits and hospitalizations among children under the age of 5.