The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is making its most significant shift in vaccine policy since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is officially endorsing a “case-by-case” approach to COVID-19 shots.
The agency approved the changes recommended by its vaccine advisory committee. Department of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed the leading members of the committee.
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In a news release, Acting Director of the CDC Jim O’Neill said, “CDC’s 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual COVID-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today.”
The new guidance
Under the new guidelines, the CDC no longer universally recommends the COVID-19 vaccination, even for those at high risk. Instead, doctors and patients are encouraged to make personalized choices based on risks and benefits.
This is a change from earlier this year, when the CDC recommended the COVID vaccine for most adults and advised parents with children aged 6 months to 17 years to discuss the benefits with a healthcare provider.
The CDC also updated guidance for children. It stated that toddlers should now receive a separate chickenpox vaccine instead of the combined MMRV vaccine.
The official guidance comes after the CDC vaccine advisory panel voted 8-1, with three abstaining, that the combined MMRV shot shouldn’t be given before age 4.
The panel was presented with new data for the vaccine that allegedly showed a slightly increased risk of febrile seizures.
Guidance scrutiny
The new guidance has come under scrutiny, including from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). AAP is “strongly recommending” COVID shots for children ages 6 months to 2 years old, which differs from the new CDC guidance. However, for older children, AAP says it’s up to parents’ discretion.
This is the first time in 30 years that the AAP’s recommendations have differed from those of the U.S. government, according to CBS News.
Critics have also argued against the new MMRV guidance. Merck, which makes the combination MMRV shot, said the recent vote “occurred in the absence of new scientific data and in contrast to years of evidence affirming the current immunization schedule.”
