CDC formally approves RFK Jr. vaccine panel recommendations
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A syringe containing a COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer. Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially approved a set of recommendations Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine advisers made last month, including dropping a broad recommendation that Americans age 65 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Why it matters: The updating of adult and child immunization schedules on Monday was necessary to allow people to get an updated COVID shot in every state without a prescription.
- The official action also green-lights shipments from the Vaccines for Children Program to health providers so they can be administered to kids 18 years and younger.
Driving the news: The CDC adopted a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that recommended that older Americans only be vaccinated after consulting with a health provider.
- Individuals 6 months to 64 years old should have discussions with a provider that emphasizes the risks and benefits of vaccination, according to the new vaccine schedule.
- The CDC also endorsed limiting the availability of a combined shot for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, the virus that causes chickenpox, by giving toddlers separate vaccinations for MMR and varicella, citing the risk of seizures.
- Many doctors already give separate vaccinations but make the combined option available for parents seeking to minimize the overall number of shots their children receive.
What they're saying: CDC acting director Jim O'Neill said the new recommendations' emphasis on personal choice were a contrast to past blanket recommendation for COVID-19 boosters that he said deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination.
- "Informed consent is back," O'Neill said in a statement. He later echoed President Trump's call to break up the combined MMR vaccine into three separate shots.
The bottom line: The new policies signal an official lack of confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. But they have the effect of ensuring the shots are widely available and maintain coverage by public and private payers.
