The war on vaccines and public health reached new heights on Aug. 27, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director was ousted from her position after refusing to endorse unfounded, unscientific Covid-19 vaccine recommendations promoted by the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Covid-19 vaccination was a major accomplishment of the first Trump administration and is estimated to have saved millions of lives. Extensive evidence demonstrates the vaccines’ safety and effectiveness. Yet on Aug. 27, the Food and Drug Administration restricted licensure of Covid-19 vaccines to people age 65 years and older and to younger people with high-risk conditions. This decision was made without input from vaccine experts or the CDC. Normally, recommendations about who should get a vaccine and at what age come from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices after extensive CDC input. That process was abandoned after the HHS secretary dismissed us ACIP members in early June.
The American public should be very worried.
The decision also ignored the data on the high burden of SARS-CoV-2 illness among infants and pregnant people. Infants have Covid-19 hospitalization rates comparable to adults aged 65–74 years, who remain eligible for vaccination. During pregnancy, Covid-19 infection significantly increases the risk of severe complications — including ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, preterm delivery, and neonatal death. Vaccination during pregnancy protects both mother and baby, reducing hospitalization in infants during their first six months of life, before they are eligible for their own vaccine. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call for Covid-19 vaccination for children ages 6-23 months and pregnant women, respectively. We should listen to the nation’s doctors.
If you are pregnant or the parent of an infant, you have reason to be concerned. You may no longer have access to these life-saving vaccines because of federal policy changes. It is unclear whether insurers will continue to cover these vaccines, or whether usual providers, such as pharmacists, will administer them. Walgreens and CVS have already announced restrictions to the availability of Covid-19 vaccines in some states. You may struggle to get vaccinated, even if it is your choice to do so.
Big shakeups to the childhood vaccination schedule could be nearing
These same physician organizations say they no longer trust HHS or ACIP to make objective, healthy, and science-based decisions. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and a physician, expressed similar concerns publicly. Meanwhile, Retsef Levi, a known Covid-19 vaccine critic, has been appointed to lead the ACIP Covid-19 vaccine workgroup, signaling an intent to advance an anti-vaccine agenda. The transparency, independence, and scientific rigor that once characterized ACIP have vanished. Several senior CDC leaders resigned on Aug. 28, citing political interference in vaccine policy as a major factor.
Vaccines are one of the greatest public health achievements. They ended smallpox, have saved millions of lives, and continue to prevent childhood infections such as measles and polio. Vaccine policy shapes both the health of our people and the health of our economy, saving billions annually in health care costs. The success of vaccines has been made possible by national policies ensuring access and affordability for all Americans.
But recent HHS policy changes are already undermining Americans’ access to vaccines — and even their freedom to choose vaccination.
We call on policymakers, professional societies, and the public to demand a return to evidence-based, transparent vaccine policy free from political interference. Protecting access to vaccines is not only a matter of science — it is a matter of safeguarding the health and future of our nation.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not represent the position of their institutions.
Jane Zucker, M.D., is a medical epidemiologist with expertise in implementation and management of immunization programs and vaccine-preventable diseases outbreak control and is currently an adjunct professor at the SUNY Downstate School of Public Health. Noel Brewer, Ph.D., is a professor of health behavior at the University of Noth Carolina. He studies health behaviors including vaccination and tobacco use. Yvonne (Bonnie) Maldonado, M.D., is professor and former chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine. She studies epidemiologic aspects of viral vaccine development and prevention of perinatal HIV transmission.