Western US states move in unison on vaccines amid federal upheaval

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SACRAMENTO - The four US western states of California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii issued coordinated recommendations on COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccines on Wednesday, saying regional action is needed as federal vaccine policy undergoes rapid change.

The announcement came through the West Coast Health Alliance, a new partnership formed earlier this month.

State leaders called the move as a practical step to offer residents clear, science-based advice during a period of rapid federal change.

Recent turnover and policy shifts in the federal government had weakened national guidance and created uncertainty, so the four states aligned their own recommendations to protect people at higher risk and to maintain access and insurance coverage for vaccines, according to their statements.

On June 9, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunisation Practices, an advisory committee that makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy, and clinical need of vaccines to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The HHS said that it would rebuild the panel to improve public confidence. On Sept. 15, the HHS and the CDC named five new members.

California's statement argued that these moves had "politicised" the CDC and created a "vacuum" for evidence-based guidance, which the alliance intends to fill.

The western states' public health leaders emphasised protection for those at higher risk.

"Vaccines are the best protection we have against serious illness," Washington State Health Officer Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett said, noting the aim was to protect young children, older adults, pregnant people and others at higher risk.

The four states also said that their guidance, based on leading medical groups, will be updated as new evidence emerges.

California paired the announcement with a new law allowing the state to base future immunisation policy on independent medical groups and the California Department of Public Health, rather than relying solely on shifting federal recommendations, said Governor Gavin Newsom's office.