ATLANTA, Ga. (The Associated Press) - A key official from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control has resigned.

Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos works with the committee who recommends vaccinations.

Just last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a 58-second video that the government would no longer endorse the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women, even though expectant mothers are considered a high-risk group if they contract the virus.

Kennedy made the surprise announcement without input from Panagiotakopoulos and the CDC advisory panel that has historically made recommendations on the nation’s vaccine schedule.

Kennedy’s decision to bypass the the advisory panel and announce new COVID-19 recommendations on his own prompted Panagiotakopoulos to announce her resignation last Friday.

“My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role,” she wrote in an email seen by an Associated Press reporter.

Signs are mounting that the CDC has been “sidelined” from key decision-making under Kennedy’s watch, said Dr. Anand Parekh, the chief medical adviser for The Bipartisan Policy Center.

“It’s difficult to ascertain how we will reverse the chronic disease epidemic or be prepared for myriad public health emergencies without a strong CDC and visible, empowered director,” Parekh said. “It’s also worth noting that every community in the country is served by a local or state public health department that depends on the scientific expertise of the CDC and the leadership of the CDC director.”

The CDC is a $9.2 billion-a-year agency tasked with reviewing life-saving vaccines, monitoring diseases and watching for budding threats to Americans’ health.

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