Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.

Health officials in Massachusetts are recommending that all adults in the state, as well as children between 6 months and 2 years old, receive the COVID vaccine.

Gov. Maura Healey and Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein will discuss the vaccine recommendations at 2:45 p.m.

The governor said earlier this month that Massachusetts would be issuing its own vaccine access plan, breaking from the Trump administration's stance on immunizations and requiring insurance carriers to cover vaccines recommended by the state. The Food and Drug Administration has approved updated COVID vaccines, but limited their use for most age groups.

"We are not going to let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy take away your ability to make your own health care decisions," Healey said in a statement Wednesday. "Massachusetts will continue to lead with science and protect access to life-saving vaccines. We are taking this action today so the people of Massachusetts know that you will continue to be able to get the vaccines you want and need - no matter what happens at the federal level."

The state says its recommendations are based on "an extensive review of current scientific data" and align with professional groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The state says all children between 6 months and 23 months old should get vaccinated for COVID.

The shot is recommended for children between 2 and 18 years old who:

The state says children in that age group who do not fall into any of those categories may still receive one dose of a COVID shot for the season.

The guidance says that vaccination is recommended for all adults between 19 and 64, and says adults over 65 should get two doses, with the second given six months after the first.

Adults with medical conditions associated with higher risk of severe COVID should also get one dose of the vaccine, according to the guidance.

Health care workers and those who are pregnant or thinking about being pregnant should also get the COVID vaccine, the guidance states. Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would remove the CDC recommendation that healthy pregnant women get vaccinated for COVID.

COVID vaccine recommended for all adults in Massachusetts, Department of Public Health says