The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has landed on an official new COVID-19 vaccination policy, adopting the recent recommendations of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The CDC’s updated immunization schedule applies an individual-based decision-making process to COVID vaccines, meaning the agency recommends people consult with a doctor or other healthcare provider before deciding to receive the shot.
Previously, COVID vaccination fell under a broader, universal CDC recommendation that covered all people ages 6 months and older.
COVID booster adherence has been dwindling from the widespread vaccine adoption seen early in the pandemic, according to the CDC's Monday release, with 23% of U.S. adults following the agency’s most recent seasonal COVID booster recommendation.
“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,” Jim O’Neill, acting CDC director and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deputy secretary, said in a statement. “That changes today.”
Vaccines in the CDC’s individual based decision-making category, also referred to as shared clinical decision-making, differ from routine, catch-up and risk-based recommendations in that they are not recommended for a wide age group or risk group and therefore don't fall into a “default” vaccination category, the agency notes on its website.
Still, the new vaccine schedule makes it so people without risk factors for severe COVID outcomes can still receive a shot if they discuss their situation with a healthcare provider.
The recently updated COVID shots from Moderna and Pfizer won FDA approvals in August with stipulations that restrict the vaccines’ use in people under the age of 65 to those with underlying health conditions. The approvals also cover all individuals age 65 and older.
In September, ACIP panelists unanimously voted to support individual decision-making for the vaccines. The endorsement emphasized that the risk-benefit profile of COVID vaccines in those younger than 65 is “most favorable for people at an increased risk for severe COVID infection and lowest for those not an increased risk,” according to the CDC.
COVID vaccines will not, however, require a prescription, a topic that sparked tense debate at the recent ACIP meeting before the proposed recommendation was narrowly voted down.
Standalone chickenpox vaccine
Outside of COVID vaccines, the CDC made a tweak to its pediatric vaccine schedule based on another recent ACIP vote. Children under the age of 3 are now recommended to receive a separate, standalone chickenpox (varicella) immunization as opposed to receiving protection from Merck’s combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
The agency cited evidence presented at the ACIP meeting showing an increased risk of febrile seizure in toddlers aged 12 to 24 months who receive the combined MMRV vaccine compared to those given a separate chickenpox vaccine.
Even still, Citi analysts expect that the total U.S. vaccination rates for the four diseases covered by the Merck vaccine are “likely to remain stable,” the analysts wrote in a note to clients after the ACIP vote.