The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented recommendations from a newly appointed panel of vaccine advisers. The agency will no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccinations for all Americans, leaving the decision to individual patients.
The agency announced on Oct. 6 that it had implemented recommendations made last month by advisers appointed by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, reported news agency Associated Press.
Previously, US health officials, following advice from infectious disease experts, had recommended annual Covid-19 booster shots for everyone aged six months and older. As the pandemic receded, experts debated whether vaccination should focus primarily on those aged 65 years and older, who face higher risks of hospitalisation and death.
In May, Kennedy, who has questioned the safety of Covid-19 vaccines in the past, said that the vaccines were no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. He also replaced the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices with a handpicked panel, according to the report.
The new advisory group voted in September that all Americans should make their own decisions regarding Covid-19 vaccination. But the CDC emphasised that vaccine decisions, particularly for seniors, should involve consultation with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
The change was endorsed by deputy secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill, the CDC’s acting director. O’Neill approved the recommendation last week, with the announcement being made on Oct. 6.
“Informed consent is back,” O’Neill said in a statement. “CDC’s 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual Covid-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today.”
