California pushes back on federal COVID vaccine policy
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California is joining Oregon and Washington in developing its own vaccine guidelines in response to what Gov. Gavin Newsom called the politicization of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: The newly formed West Coast Health Alliance is the first blue state public health partnership to push back against the Trump administration's 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 will commit to shared principles on how to build public trust in vaccines.
What they're saying: "The dismantling of public health and dismissal of experienced and respected health leaders and advisers, along with the lack of using science, data and evidence to improve our nation's health are placing lives at risk," Erica Pan, director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health, said in a press release.
- "The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science," Newsom added. "California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk."
The other side: Andrew Nixon, communications director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, blamed Democrat-run states for destroying public trust in health agencies.
- He said HHS will ensure vaccine policy is based on "rigorous evidence ... not the failed politics of the pandemic."
The big picture: The Trump administration rescinded emergency-use authorizations for COVID vaccines last week.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 in some states will no longer have the power to dispense vaccines.
- COVID shots are still available without a prescription at CVS stores in California, and major insurers including Aetna, Blue Cross and Kaiser say they'll continue covering vaccines at no cost.
Yes, but: Local doctors and public health experts say the new federal guidelines could worsen health disparities, particularly for low-income families and people of color, KPBS reported.
Meanwhile, Florida became the first state on Wednesday to announce an end to all state vaccine mandates.
Between the lines: The health alliance comes as California's COVID-19 rates continue to rise amid the new "stratus" variant.
- 14.8% of the state population is up to date on COVID vaccinations, defined as having received at least one dose of a 2024-25 vaccine, per data from the California public health department.
- Nearly 32% of San Francisco County residents and 15.4% of San Diego County residents are current on their COVID shots.
What's next: Vaccine advisers to the CDC are due to meet this month to weigh the suitability of COVID, hepatitis B and measles shots, among others.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists have already issued their own COVID vaccine recommendations that run counter to the administration.