Blue states defy RFK Jr on vaccine policy with their own guidelines
The article reports that California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have formed the west Coast Health Alliance to issue independent vaccine guidelines for the upcoming flu season, diverging from the federal policies overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. These blue states reject the CDC’s updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, instead advising that all pregnant women and children aged 6 months to 2 years receive the COVID-19 vaccine, contrary to the CDC’s recent rollback of such guidance. Their recommendations align with those of major medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and emphasize science, safety, and clarity.The alliance criticizes Kennedy’s management for undermining science-based health oversight, while HHS maintains it follows rigorous scientific standards. The announcement coincides with a Senate hearing involving former CDC Director Susan Monarez, highlighting ongoing tensions over vaccine policy amid upcoming federal advisory committee discussions on several vaccines.
Blue states defy RFK Jr on vaccine policy with their own guidelines
California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have joined together to issue their own independent vaccine recommendations ahead of flu season, breaking from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and what they call a federal “assault on science.”
Governors of the four blue states formed the West Coast Health Alliance to collaborate on deviating from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s federal vaccine policies. The alliance issued independent recommendations on the COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines on Wednesday, two days before the CDC vaccine advisory committee is set to discuss COVID-19 vaccines.
“Our states are united in putting science, safety, and transparency first — and in protecting families with clear, credible vaccine guidance. The West Coast Health Alliance stands united in protecting public health and always putting safety before politics,” Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Tina Kotek (D-OR), Bob Ferguson (D-WA), and Josh Green (D-HI) said in a joint statement.
The alliance broke from Kennedy’s updated CDC guidelines by recommending that all pregnant women and all children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Kennedy announced on May 27 that the CDC rescinded federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for all pregnant women and healthy children. In late August, the Food and Drug Administration approved the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 but limited approval for younger people to only those with underlying conditions, a move that could leave millions of people in limbo for approval.
Newsom’s office said in its press release on the alliance’s recommendations that Kennedy’s oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services is dismantling “science-based oversight.” However, HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said the department follows “Gold Standard Science,” referencing President Donald Trump’s May executive order.
“Democrat-run states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns, toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the COVID era completely eroded the American people’s trust in public health agencies,” Nixon said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “ACIP remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic.”
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is set to meet this week to discuss the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, or MMRV, vaccines, the Hepatitis B vaccine, and the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a draft agenda.
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The alliance’s vaccine recommendations align with the CDC’s regarding who should receive the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and flu vaccines. A complete list of the alliance’s published vaccine recommendations is available here.
The alliance says its recommendations for the three vaccines for the 2025-2026 virus season align with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“As a physician, I swore an oath to do no harm — and we know vaccines are among the most powerful tools to prevent illness and save lives,” Oregon Health Authority Director Sejal Hathi said in a statement. “At a time when Washington is undermining our most basic public health safeguards, Oregon is charting a different course. Our actions today affirm that here, public health is about protecting people, not playing politics.”
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It is still unclear whether insurance companies in the four states would be required to cover vaccines for groups not covered by HHS’s federal recommendations.
The alliance published its recommendations on the same day that former CDC Director Susan Monarez, who clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policies, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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