The Democratic governors of Washington state, Oregon, and California announced Wednesday that they have created an alliance to establish their own recommendations for who should receive vaccines because they believe the Trump administration is putting Americans' health at risk by politicizing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AP reports. The announcement came the same day that Florida said it will phase out all childhood vaccine mandates. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to curb vaccine requirements and other health mandates that evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic in his state.
The three states plan to coordinate their vaccine recommendations and immunization plans based on science-based evidence from respected national medical organizations, according to a joint statement from Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. US Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew G. Nixon shot back in a statement Wednesday that the administration's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices "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."
Other public health agencies across the country have started taking steps to ensure their states have access to vaccines after US regulators came out with new policies that limited access to COVID-19 shots:
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's health department said last week it is seeking advice from medical experts and its own committee on COVID-19 vaccines and other immunizations for the fall respiratory season.
- New Mexico said it was updating its protocols to allow the state's pharmacists to consider recommendations from the state's health department when administering vaccines rather than just the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at his request, the State Board of Pharmacy voted to protect access to COVID-19 vaccines for those most in need and make it available at CVS pharmacies across the state.
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has directed health officials to ensure access to updated COVID-19 vaccines. The state's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ned Calonge issued an order to allow pharmacists to provide COVID-19 vaccines without individual prescriptions.
- Last month, public officials from eight Northeast states met in Rhode Island to discuss coordinating vaccine recommendations. The group included all the New England states except for New Hampshire, as well as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
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