A pharmacy advertises Covid-19 testing and vaccinations on September 4 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Several states, including New York, are breaking strict eligibility rules imposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on newly approved Covid-19 vaccines for the fall season. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Pennsylvania has joined a coalition of northeastern states in an effort to develop public health and vaccination guidelines amid concerns about the direction of federal health agencies.
The group will meet regularly to coordinate public health efforts, such as emergency preparedness and the development of vaccination guidelines.
“Pennsylvania participates in the bipartisan Northeast Public Health Collaborative (NEPHC) because the Shapiro Administration is committed to keeping Pennsylvanians healthy, preventing injuries and illnesses, and ensuring the safe delivery of high-quality health care throughout the Commonwealth,” Barry Ciccocioppo, director of communications for the state Department of Health, said in a statement. “To fulfill our mission and ensure Pennsylvanians have access to essential public health resources, members of the Department of Health collaborate with colleagues in other states and jurisdictions to share innovations, best practices and improve efficiency.”
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Other states involved include Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. All have Democratic governors except Vermont, which is led by Republican Phil Scott.
The move follows similar actions by West Coast states California, Oregon and Washington, which have formed their own public health coalition.
Historically, almost all U.S. states, including Pennsylvania, have accepted vaccination guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). But changes at the agency under President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including the firing of its director, have shaken the confidence of public health experts.
“States have had to essentially step up and fill the void left by the gutting of the CDC and the dismantling of public health infrastructure at the federal government level,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey he told NPR Lately.
Nine former CDC directors also expressed concern about the agency’s leadership under Kennedy, its refusal to fund medical research and the credibility of its public health recommendations in article in the New York Times.
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy, which is responsible for determining when and to whom Pennsylvania pharmacists can administer vaccines, also voted to adopt vaccine recommendations from nongovernmental health organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Bye. The Board of Pharmacy votes to employ vaccine guidelines developed by non-governmental groups
The move effectively allowed them to bypass guidance from the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices amid concerns that the group had become politicized.
Kennedy, a long-time supporter of anti-vaccine views and former chairman of an anti-vaccination groupremoved and replaced all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, appointing several who had expressed concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, breaking with the widespread scientific consensus. The panel is scheduled to meet this week and vote on recommendations for this year’s Covid-19 vaccine and other vaccines.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, Department of Human Services and Insurance Commission provided a joint public comment to the panel before the meeting stating: “Vaccination remains one of the most powerful and cost-effective tools to prevent serious disease, reduce hospitalizations and protect those most at risk of serious outcomes.”
“ACIP’s consistent and science-based recommendations are therefore essential to maintaining both individual autonomy and collective well-being,” he added in the letter.
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Andrew Nixon, director of communications for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, responded to concerns about the department’s changes in a statement to the Capital-Star.
“The American people voted for transparency and accountability, and that’s what Secretary Kennedy is delivering,” he wrote. “For decades, the CDC has failed to keep up with public opinion. We are reforming broken institutions, restoring gold standard science as the foundation of public health, and ensuring Americans have honest information and real choices. That’s how we rebuild trust and make America healthy again.”
Nixon also criticized states like Pennsylvania that are trying to bypass CDC vaccine recommendations.
“Democrat-led states that have pushed unscientific school closures, mask mandates for children, and draconian vaccine passports in times of Covid-19 have completely undermined Americans’ trust in public health agencies,” he said. “ACIP remains the scientific body guiding vaccine recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure that policy is based on rigorous evidence and gold standard science, not on failed pandemic policy.”
