West Coast states in California devise their own COVID-19 vaccination guidelines, creating a disagreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
California is taking a proactive approach to vaccinations amidst growing uncertainty and changes in federal guidance. The Golden State, along with Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii, has formed the West Coast Health Alliance to jointly issue recommendations for COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccinations.
The West Coast Health Alliance advises vaccinating all children 6 months to 23 months, seniors 65 and older, and adults with risk factors against COVID-19. Pregnant and postpartum women, as well as those planning to become pregnant, are also recommended to get vaccinated.
In line with the Alliance's recommendations, California Governor Melody Gutierrez announced that the state will reject CDC guidance and follow the West Coast Health Alliance's advice for COVID-19 vaccines. This decision comes after the CDC has faced significant changes in its leadership and vaccine recommendations, with top leadership being fired, senior scientific advisors leaving, and the remaking of its vaccine advisory committee with members who have spread misinformation and conspiracy theories about immunizations.
The Alliance also recommends the flu shot for children 6 months and older, all adults, and pregnant women. For RSV, the vaccine is recommended for children younger than 8 months, anyone 75 years or older, people age 50 to 74 with risk factors, and pregnant women between 32 weeks and 36 weeks of gestation.
Moreover, the Alliance advises vaccinating people who are in close contact with others who have risk factors for severe illness if they get COVID-19. All children who have never been vaccinated against COVID-19 are also recommended to get a shot.
California's new law, which overhauls its immunization policy, allows the state to modify or expand the list of recommended immunizations with input from medical and scientific organizations. The law also refers to recommendations from medical associations and the national vaccine advisory committee's guidance as the basis for which immunizations are covered by health insurance.
This move by California comes as a recent KFF poll found Americans are increasingly uncertain about public health guidance. In response, over 1,000 employees at the CDC and national health organizations have called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign. Kennedy, however, defends the shakeup as necessary to create trust and "eliminate politics from science."
Meanwhile, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet to review and potentially change vaccine recommendations. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended the updated COVID-19 vaccine for people during their pregnancy, aligning with the West Coast Health Alliance's recommendations.
As California and the West Coast Health Alliance forge ahead with their vaccination strategies, the future of public health guidance in the United States remains uncertain.
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