Washington: The key US vaccine advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (Acip), has voted to no longer recommend the Covid-19 shots for all adults, ending years of routine annual guidance.
The panel also narrowly decided against actively advocating for prescriptions for the jab. Over two days of meetings, Acip also revised recommendations for the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine and postponed a vote on the hepatitis B vaccine.
The committee has been under scrutiny since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine sceptic, dismissed all 17 members in June and appointed new members, drawing criticism from the medical community.
Acip debated the Covid-19 vaccine, which has been a standard recommendation akin to the annual flu shot. The panel opted to abandon broad support for the jab, even for high-risk groups such as adults over 65, instead advising individuals to make their own decisions in consultation with medical professionals.
Earlier this year, federal guidelines stopped recommending Covid-19 vaccines for healthy pregnant women and children. Kennedy ally Dr. Robert Malone claimed there was no evidence the vaccine prevented serious infection, while Dr. Cody Meissner, formerly of the FDA’s vaccine panel, defended its protective benefits.
The committee also created confusion over the MMRV vaccine. Acip voted against recommending the combined MMRV shot for children under four but later endorsed two separate jabs: one for measles, mumps, and rubella, and another for varicella. The American Medical Association warned that the changes could leave parents confused.
ACIP further delayed a vote on whether newborns of mothers testing negative for hepatitis B during pregnancy should automatically receive the vaccine, despite long-standing CDC guidance recommending the shot at birth. Experts note that widespread hepatitis B vaccination has significantly reduced cases among people under 20 since 1991.
Kennedy’s vaccine policies have sparked controversy since taking office in January. After replacing ACIP members in June and firing its chief, Susan Monarez, in late August, several senior CDC staff resigned in protest. Monarez told the Senate she was dismissed for refusing to approve policy changes ‘regardless of the scientific evidence,’ while Kennedy cited trust issues as his rationale.
Medical professionals have expressed concern over Kennedy’s repeated questioning of vaccine safety and efficacy, although he has assured during his Senate confirmation hearings that vaccines would not be removed from recommendation lists.
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