RFK Jr.'s vaccine panel to decide who should get COVID19 vaccines this fall Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY September 19, 2025 at 8:47 PM 0 RFK Jr.'s vaccine panel to decide who should get COVID19 vaccines this fall Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY September 19, 2025 at 8:47 PM
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RFK Jr.'s vaccine panel to decide who should get COVID-19 vaccines this fall
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine panel is slated to vote on guidance regarding who is recommended to get a COVID-19 shot this fall.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting on Sept. 19 follows months of confusion over vaccine access and coverage.
In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved COVID-19 shots only for those over 65 and people with existing health problems this fall.
Despite the approval, several states have issued their own guidance about COVID-19 vaccines. California, Oregon and Washington have created their own advisory council that will release its own vaccine recommendations for the West Coast. States like Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York and Minnesota, among others, have also issued guidance or signed executive orders regarding vaccines.
Health insurance companies have also vowed to cover the COVID-19 vaccines "with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026," according to America's Health Insurance Plans.
1 / 13See Senators grill HHS Secretary RFK Jr. over vaccine rulings, CDC turmoilRobert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies about the health care agenda for the Trump administration in front of the Senate Committee on Finance in Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2025.
ACIP members will also vote on whether to delay the first dose of the hepatitis vaccine until at least one month after birth for babies who are born to mothers who test negative for the virus, instead of within 24 hours of birth, which would represent a major change to the childhood vaccination schedule.
Before Friday's impending vote, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine for nearly 35 years.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver, according to the CDC.
Most adults recover completely from the highly contagious infection. But about 90% of infants and 30% of children who are infected between ages 1 and 5 will develop a lifelong infection that can lead to severe liver damage, liver cancer or death, the agency said.
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The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, semen or other body fluids. Most cases occur through sexual contact or through needle sharing by intravenous drug users, said Dr. Philip Huang, director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services.
One of the arguments against the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose is that newborns don't encounter those risk factors, but "they're neglecting the mother-to-baby transmission at childbirth, which is another important thing," he said.
Most people with hepatitis B don't experience any symptoms when they're newly infected, Huang said. So, the birth dose is intended to prevent disease in newborns in cases where the mother is unaware she might be carrying the virus.
Adrianna can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. vaccine panel to vote on COVID-19 guidance for this fall
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