ACOG said in its release that the schedule is intended to protect pregnant patients and infants from vaccine-preventable illness. Its schedule page says it provides evidence-based recommendations for U.S.-based pregnant, postpartum and lactating patients, and lists COVID-19, influenza, Tdap and maternal respiratory syncytial virus vaccination among the pregnancy-related recommendations.
The practical disagreement is clearest on COVID-19 vaccination. ACOG's schedule says any COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered in pregnancy. The CDC's pregnancy page says COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is now based on individual decision-making, while the same CDC page says pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19 than people who are not pregnant.
AP and STAT each reported that ACOG issued the schedule after federal changes under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. altered government advice for pregnant women. AP and CIDRAP reported that it was the first time ACOG had released an immunization schedule independent of the CDC.
Table: ACOG maternal vaccine timing
| Vaccine | ACOG pregnancy timing |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 | Any COVID-19 vaccine product may be administered during pregnancy, according to ACOG's schedule. |
| Tdap | One dose during each pregnancy, preferably in gestational weeks 27 through 36, according to ACOG. |
| Influenza | One dose for people who are pregnant during any trimester or will be pregnant during influenza season, according to ACOG. |
| Maternal RSV | Pfizer's Abrysvo between 32 weeks 0 days and 36 weeks 6 days during September through January in most of the continental United States if the patient was not previously vaccinated, according to ACOG. |
Source: ACOG maternal immunization schedule, 2026.
The table states ACOG's clinical recommendations only. ACOG is a professional medical society for obstetrician-gynecologists. CDC guidance is federal public-health advice used by clinicians, insurers and public-health programmes.