Oregon pushes back on Trump's COVID vaccine policy
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Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek. Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images
Oregon is joining Washington and California in developing its own vaccine guidance in response to what Gov. Tina Kotek is calling the "politicalization" of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: The new West Coast Health Alliance is the first blue state public health partnership to push back against Trump administration policies.
- The move comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. effectively restricted COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups, limiting access for healthy children and healthy pregnant women.
Driving the news: The western states envision issuing guidelines they said would be driven by evidence-based recommendations from national medical organizations.
- Each state will pursue its own strategies based on its laws and geography but commit to shared principles on how to build public trust in vaccines, the governors said in a news release Wednesday.
The big picture: The Trump administration rescinded emergency use authorizations for COVID vaccines last week.
- The FDA approved boosters for high-risk patients, but pharmacists will no longer have the power to dispense vaccines.
- Instead, patients who want the COVID vaccine will need to consult their doctor first rather than book through the pharmacy.
Yes, but: COVID shots are still available without a prescription at CVS stores in Oregon, and major insurers, including Aetna, Blue Cross and Kaiser, say they'll continue covering vaccines at no cost.
What they're saying: "Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine," Sejal Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said. "But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at precisely the moment we need it most."
- "The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences," the governors said in a joint statement.
The other side: Andrew Nixon, communications director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, blamed Democratic-run states for damaging public trust in health agencies.
- He said HHS will ensure vaccine policy is based on "rigorous evidence ... not the failed politics of the pandemic."
Between the lines: The health alliance comes as Oregon has seen elevated levels of COVID as a new variant ripples through the nation.
- Oregon saw 13.4% of tests come back positive in the week ending Aug. 23, per regional data from the CDC.
- Wastewater samples from around the state show more of a mixed bag, with various Portland metro locations showing both plateaus and increases in cases as of last week.
What's next: Vaccine advisers to the CDC are due to meet this month to weigh the suitability of the mRNA shots.