With the Trump Administration poised to order sweeping changes to long-standing scientific guidance on childhood vaccines, Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday reiterated his pledge to protect access to vaccines in the Commonwealth.
Appearing as a guest in a live Instagram conversation with Dr. Zachary Rubin,, a Chicago-based pediatric allergist and immunologist, Shapiro vowed that as soon as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices wrapped up day 2 of their meeting on new vaccine guidance, his administration would issue guidance in response to new directives.
“Let me say we’re waiting for this meeting to end, I guess at some point today and then we’ll be putting out some new guidance from our state department of health to react to whatever they do there,” Shapiro said. “Because what we want to do is make sure Pennsylvanians have access to a full range of healthcare options, including vaccines. So as soon as that’s done, you should expect to hear from our Department of Health.”
Day 2 of the federal vaccine advisory panel resulted in limited action but considerable tumult. The panel voted Friday to delay a vote on ending a three-decade recommendation to administer hepatitis B vaccines at birth after a tide of criticism from major medical groups.
The panel’s decision on vaccines is poised to overhaul the nation’s access to vaccines — from childhood ones like measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccines, to COVID — and the guidance on when babies and children should receive them.
The advisory panel on Thursday handed down a sweeping change to vaccines, voting to stop recommending a dose of a combined measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox vaccine before a child turns 4.
In general, the panel’s proceedings imploded with disorder and even name-calling.
“I think for those folks who are tuning in to your channel, they rely on you to break all this stuff down for them,” Shapiro said. “I think there’s kind of one word we can use for what’s going on right now at the federal level with these meetings on vaccines. Chaos. It’s total and complete chaos.”
Rubin, whose Instagram account has 1.2 million followers, excoriated the panel, which was hand-picked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Panel members have come under criticism for being unqualified for the office, and for not being able to make a decision on the Hepatitis B vaccine for babies, which overwhelmingly prevents chronic liver disease.
“Luckily, they were so disorganized that they’re not even voting on that question,” Rubin said. “They’re just tabling it. So I’m glad that people are standing up against RFK Jr. and that our governors are trying to speak out and make sure that there’s order in place so that real evidence-based medicine is going to be followed by health insurers to make sure that everybody gets the right access to vaccines.”
Shapiro said that as a father of four and as someone who looks after his own health and that of 13 million constituents, “I don’t want a bunch of public health folks, you know, descending into chaos. I want them calm and rationally going through the facts, going through the science and, and giving us the best information.”
Shapiro blasted Kennedy for having “co-opted” the process and having “put a whole bunch of people, frankly who just are not suited for these jobs in place.”
“What they’re doing is they’re undermining my ability as a parent to be able to look out for my kids because they’re denying me access to real science and denying me access to information,” Shapiro said.
The Democratic governor said the guidance set forth by the federal government could no longer be trusted. He noted how, at his behest, the state Board of Pharmacy earlier this month expanded access to vaccines after the Trump Administration upended recommendations on the COVID vaccine.
The state board permitted retail pharmacies, in addition to the CDC, to follow the guidance of major medical associations on vaccine schedules and access.
“You can rely again on these medical advisory groups that are actually science-based, unlike what we’re seeing from RFK,” Shapiro said.
The Shapiro Administration has urged the CDC panel to recommend the vaccines for all these diseases to all populations indicated in prior ACIP recommendations.
On Thursday, the Shapiro Administration joined a multi-state coalition of health experts and leaders that will steer collaborative efforts to safeguard public health.