A leading Chicago pediatrician says he is siding with the influential American Academy of Pediatrics in its split with the federal government over COVID-19 vaccine guidance for children because, he says, the AAP recommendations “are based on science, and not based on politics.”

“Until Secretary [Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.] took the reins … I was always able to feel very confident in the recommendations that came out,” from the federal government, Dr. Daniel Johnson, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago, said, referring to the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Now with the change in administration and direction, I am seeing something unique, which is that politics is a major leading force.”

Johnson says doctors and families now need

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