By Ali Swenson, AP News
NEW YORK (AP) — A vaccine advisory committee handpicked by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met in Atlanta this week to consider whether to revise recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B, and a combination shot that protects children against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.
The panel, which is charged with making vaccine recommendations, declined to recommend COVID-19 vaccines, saying instead that people could make individual decisions — a move that adds confusion as people weigh whether to get a dose this fall.
During the sometimes chaotic two-day meeting, the panel also recommended new restrictions for a vaccine that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella. In a surprise move, the group indefinitely postponed an expected vote on hepatitis B shots given to infants on the day they are born.
With Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, leading the country’s health agencies, the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, struck a different tone from past gatherings. Among the 12 members, all chosen this year by Kennedy after he fired the previous 17-member panel, are people who have criticized and spread misinformation about vaccines. Critics say the panel’s makeup and agenda could sow distrust in the shots.
The panel’s recommendations will be sent to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency that has been rocked by disagreements over Kennedy’s vaccine policies. The panel’s recommendations are usually adopted by the CDC, and then widely followed by doctors and insurers.
Here are some takeaways from the meeting.
Panel declines to recommend COVID-19 shots for anyone
The panel on Friday debated COVID-19 vaccinations as the virus has remained a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths last fall and winter, according to CDC data.
Until now, the vaccinations had been routinely provided to nearly all Americans who wanted them. The Food and Drug Administration recently put new restrictions on this year’s shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax, reserving them for people over 65 or younger ones who are deemed at higher risk from the virus.
Panelists declined to recommend the shots for anyone, including seniors and high-risk populations. They said individuals could make their own decisions. Removing the recommendations that were previously in place may confuse Americans trying to decide whether and how to get their fall boosters.
The panel also urged the CDC to adopt stronger language around claims of vaccine risks, despite pushback from outside medical groups who said the shots had a proven safety record from the billions of doses administered worldwide.
The divided panel narrowly avoided urging states to require a prescription for the shot.
Several states have announced policies to try to ensure people’s access to COVID-19 vaccines, worried about Friday’s ACIP decision. And a group representing most health insurers, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said earlier this week that its members will continue covering the shots through 2026.
