02 February 2026
Erika Whittome
Via email: [FYI request #33142 email]
Tēnā koe Erika
Request for information: CDC Policy Changes in the United Staes
Thank you for your request dated 15 December 2025 under the Official Information Act 1982
(OIA) for information relating to statements made by the United States Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). You requested:
"On 27 May 2025, the CDC stopped recommending the covid19 vaccines for
pregnant women which was covered in Time
magazine https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.
com%2F7288915%2Fcdc-covid-19-vaccines-pregnant-women-
children%2F&data=05%7C02%7Coiagr%40health.govt.nz%7C1e42c4f463754a62b8
9308de33721171%7C23cec7246d204bd19fe9dc4447edd1fa%7C0%7C0%7C63900
4762185495692%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIl
YiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C4
0000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eS%2BKo0n4HKQWj84%2BFP8Jgx6z%2BMBK31PfMX
z53oHW2vk%3D&reserved=0
A CDC memo dated 29 November 2025 says :
"the FDA has failed to properly enforce many required post market commitments for
COVID-19 vaccines, including for pregnant women ..."
https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingt
onpost.com%2Fdocuments%2F3042d15c-676b-48ac-8148-
1a2204ef420e.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Coiagr%40health.govt.nz%7C1e42c4f463754a
62b89308de33721171%7C23cec7246d204bd19fe9dc4447edd1fa%7C0%7C0%7C6
39004762185523109%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRyd
WUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D
%7C40000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=igvL7HTnZHyR7h9YhcPU4kywWos3H1CmrGTfSV
3DrLk%3D&reserved=0
Please share any meeting minutes, discussions, correspondence, emails etc about
these 2 particular statements from the CDC about pregnant women and covid-19
vaccines”
2025-26-120; Objective ID
Three documents have been identified in scope of your request relate to consultation
responses we received in response to the COVID-19 vaccine RFP. We have reviewed the
consultation feedback and have released to you al references to COVID-19 vaccine use in
pregnancy and the FDA or USA policy changes. Excerpts have been released in accordance
with section 16(1)(e) of the Act, with information deemed out of scope of your request
excluded.
You wil find the information you requested at the end of this letter and in the excel
spreadsheet attached.
Some information in document 1 has been withheld under section 9(2)(a) of the Act to protect
privacy of natural persons. In making our decision, we have considered the public interest
considerations in section 9(1) of the Act. No public interest has been identified that would be
sufficient to override the reasons for withholding that information.
We trust that this information answers your queries. Please note, you have the right to make
a complaint to the Ombudsman about our response to your OIA, under section 28(3) of the
OIA. Details of
how to make a complaint are on the Ombudsman’s website.
To make information more freely available, we publish selected OIA responses (excluding
personal details) on our website. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about
this.
Nāku noa, nā
Oliver Whitehead
Team Leader, Government Services
qA78343
2
