Cdc Panel Abandons Covid Vaccine Recommendation, Saying It's A Personal Choice

A panel of vaccine advisers on Friday voted to abandon its previous universal recommendation for annual COVID-19 vaccine shots for anyone 6 months and older, with the committee unanimously voting to instead suggest that Americans can get the shot "based on individual-based decision-making" -- meaning it's a personal choice.

The Department of Health and Human Services told ABC News federal vaccine programs will continue to cover the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policies, and many major insurers said they would continue to cover the cost of the vaccines through at least 2026 no matter how the committee voted this week.

In a separate vote, members decided not to suggest that states require a prescription for the COVID-19 vaccine, with many members saying this would create unnecessary barriers.

And in another separate action, members voted that CDC communicate clear risks about COVID-19 vaccines -- materials that states can choose to give to patients when they get vaccinated that list at least six of those risks. 

The votes follow the Food and Drug Administration's recent narrowing of COVID-19 vaccine approvals to a smaller group of Americans -- those over 65 or with underlying medical conditions. Although the FDA and CDC are sister agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA is a regulator and CDC makes recommendations. 

What do new COVID vaccine recommendations mean?

Public health officials are still analyzing the vote's implications for access to COVID-19 vaccines.

There is a significant difference in public health between a "recommendation" and "You can get it if you want it" approach, and it's unclear how individual states will respond to the language. 

By removing the word "recommended" to designate COVID-19 vaccines, the committee is weakening years-long guidance for universal shots to combat the virus.

If the committee's vote is codified by the acting CDC director, COVID-19 vaccines will no longer recommended but anyone 6 months old or older who wants to can get vaccinated -- to the extent they can navigate the potential confusion and their individual state’s rules.

Many members of the panel -- selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- questioned the vaccine’s benefit, but ultimately voted that most Americans can still have access, ideally following a discussion with their health care provider, although that is not a requirement.  

The panel said people should know COVID-19 vaccines are most beneficial for people with risks for severe illness based on CDC definitions and least beneficial for otherwise healthy individuals. 

As far as who will pay for the shots, an HHS spokesperson told ABC News that COVID-19 shots will still be covered by public insurance, including the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid and Medicare as well as insurance plans offered through the federal health insurance marketplace.

Separately, major private insurance providers have said they will cover the cost of the shots through 2026.

Vote on hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for newborns indefinitely delayed

On Thursday, the panel of advisers voted to narrow existing recommendations for the combined MMRV shot that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. They cited a small increased risk for an uncommon side effect of the combo shot in leading to febrile seizures.

Earlier Friday, committee indefinitely postponed its planned vote on whether to stop recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.

A "yes" vote on the hepatitis B vaccine would have recommended that the first dose be delayed from birth and given at one month of life for babies born to moms who test negative in pregnancy.

Robert Malone, a panel member and vaccine critic, proposed tabling the vote out of concern that there had not been enough discussion about the safety of the hepatitis B vaccines.

Cody Meissner, a fellow panel member, argued that trying to "prove the absence of harm" is "simply not a practical objective."

Presentations on Thursday by the CDC included data about the chances of side effects from the vaccine.

The birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for all babies ensures that all have the opportunity to get protected from a highly contagious virus that can cause lifelong chronic disease. A CDC recommendation isn't a mandate but can eliminate barriers -- like cost -- for families so they don't need to factor that into their choice for a shot or not.

Pediatrician medical groups argue delaying this birth dose until one month of life would leave the opportunity for babies to be missed if they are born to a mother infected with the virus or from a close contact soon after birth. It also may be difficult to guess who is at risk and should be tested -- half of people living with Hepatitis B don't know they are infected, according to the CDC.

When the U.S. had a risk-based approach to vaccination before 1991, it was estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 new hepatitis B infections occurred annually in the U.S. from 1980 to 1991 and over 1 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B infection, according to the CDC.

Since then, the virus has been virtually eliminated among babies in the US.

However, hepatitis B is still a huge problem among adults in the U.S. It's estimated that up to 2.4 million people in the country are living with chronic hepatitis B, with many being asymptomatic and unaware of their diagnosis, according to the CDC.