SACRAMENTO (KABC) — As the turmoil surrounding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues on Capitol Hill, a coalition of West Coast states are breaking away from federal health policies and uniting to offer their own vaccine guidelines for people who live in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.
This comes as a newly-formed CDC advisory panel prepares to vote on its own immunization guidelines on Thursday.
“In the face of federal leadership that has completely failed us, the West Coast is taking action,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The governor said the purging of all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee makes it difficult to trust any federal recommendations.
The West Coast Alliance issued their own joint vaccine guidance ahead of the winter respiratory season, and for many doctors, it’s welcome news.
“I’m confident that the individuals that are part of this West Coast Health Alliance are looking at all of that data so that they can give the best recommendations,” said Dr. Sherrill Brown, the director of infection prevention at AltaMed Health Services, who said she’ll be following the WCHA guidance in her practice.
For COVID-19, the guidance includes vaccinating all children 6 months to 23 months and those 2 years old to 64 years old who have risk factors.
The alliance also recommended all pregnant, lactating and postpartum women or those planning to become pregnant be vaccinated.
It’s a departure from federal recommendations, which now require healthy adults 65 and younger to consult with a healthcare provider before getting the shot.
The CDC also requires parents of healthy kids to get a healthcare provider to sign off before their child can receive the COVID vaccine.
Brown believes anyone who wants a COVID vaccine should be able to get one.
“The vaccine is safe and effective, so getting the vaccine can help protect from those symptoms,” said Brown. “It’s kind of like riding in the car. Wearing a seatbelt is not going to prevent you from getting into a car accident, but wearing a seatbelt will help prevent you from getting severely injured if you were to get into a car accident.”
For the flu shot, the alliance recommends children 6 months and older and all adults and pregnant women to receive the flu shot.
For the RSV vaccine, the group recommends it for kids younger than 8 months, as well as anyone 75 years or older. WCHA recommends the RSV vaccine for all other ages if a person has risk factors.
The WCHA vaccine schedule comes as abruptly-dismissed CDC Director Susan Monarez testified before a Senate committee.
“I was fired for holding the line on scientific integrity,” she said.
Monarez said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr demanded she pre-approve changes to recommendations for childhood vaccine schedules without scientific evidence.
Several senators pressed Monarez on whether children receive too many shots. Monarez said she was open to discussing the science around the schedule, but would not make a blanket promise to agree on future changes.
And in a break from decades of trusted reliance on the CDC, Newsom also signed a law giving California the power to set its own immunization schedules based on independent and state health experts.
“Vaccines … they save lives. They protect you.” said Newsom.