The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approved changes to its recommendations for how and when the COVID-19 vaccine is administered.
The first change unanimously approved by the panel recommends that adults aged 65 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine based on individual-based decision making — and that individuals aged 6 months to 64 years old, a vaccination is recommended based on individual-based decision making, with an added emphasis on providing risk-benefit information.
Another unanimous change recommended that "authorized healthcare providers discuss the risks and benefits of the vaccination for the individual patient."
The panel also approved, 11-1, a new recommendation that vaccine information sheets, something already required by law, be updated to include "at least six risks and uncertainties."
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The only recommendation that failed to move forward from the panel in a close 6-6 vote was one that would have required a prescription for any individual to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Most of the panel members who voted against recommending a prescription requirement — Dr. Hillary Blackburn, Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, Dr. Cody Meissner, Dr. Raymond Pollak and Dr. Catherine M. Stein— said it would limit access to the vaccine and that pharmacists are more than qualified to discuss any associated risk factors when administering vaccines.
Those who voted for it — Dr. Evelyn Griffin, Dr. Retsef Levi, Dr. Robert W. Malone, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, Dr. James Pagano and Dr. Vicky Pebsworth — said they had concerns about people being able to make an informed decision on whether or not to get the COVID-19 shot if there were no requirements for them to meet with a health care professional beforehand.
During its first meeting day, the ACIP decided to change the minimum age recommendations for the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, which combines the MMR vaccine with the chickenpox vaccine.
In an 8-3 vote, the panel decided to change the recommended minimum age to 4 years old, whereas the previous guidelines recommended the MMRV vaccine for children aged 12 months to 12 years old.
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The ACIP provides the federal government with guidance on vaccines. Although the CDC makes the final decisions, the panel’s advice often shapes medical guidance nationwide.
Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed 17 members of the ACIP and appointed 12 new members — five of whom were just appointed last week. The reconstituted panel includes several medical professionals skeptical of past vaccine policies, mostly as they relate to the COVID-19 vaccine.
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The panel was presented with various studies on the COVID-19 vaccine, including side effects and economic impact.
One of the studies presented explored a very rare side effect, most commonly occurring in young men, is a kind of heart inflammation called myocarditis. A scientist who told the panel he was studying whether people with certain genes are uniquely susceptible to that risk said the Trump administration had canceled his grant before the research could be finished.
