Major Medical Groups Pushed Out of Role Supporting CDC’s Vaccine Advisors
Multiple healthcare organizations that have historically helped the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develop vaccine recommendations have been told they can no longer participate in ACIP work groups, leaving the organizations frustrated and worried about what will happen next. “We’re very concerned and disheartened that our organizations are considered ‘special interest groups’ and […]
Opinion | ‘It’s Now Health Workers Who Are Suffering’: What We Heard This Week
“It’s now health workers who are suffering.” — Deborah Houry, MD, MPH, the CDC’s chief medical officer, on the rising rates of burnout among healthcare workers. “By 3 days, the majority of children are going to be non-infectious.” — Eran Bendavid, MD, MS, of Stanford University, pinpointing the median duration of infectivity among adolescents with […]
CDC Advisors Endorse Maternal RSV Vax to Protect Newborns
The CDC’s advisors on Friday recommended a maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine to protect infants from serious infections. By an 11-1 vote, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that pregnant women receive a single dose of Pfizer’s prefusion F protein (RSVpreF) vaccine (Abrysvo) at 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation to prevent lower […]
CDC Advisors Support Updated COVID Shots for All
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 13 to 1 in favor of recommending updated, monovalent, XBB-targeting COVID-19 shots for everyone age 6 months and up. Specifically, the language in the recommendation supports the “2023-2024” vaccines as authorized or approved by the FDA — in order to cover the recently green-lighted mRNA shots, […]
CDC Advisors Back Therapeutic to Prevent RSV in Infants
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously — 10 to 0 — in favor of nirsevimab (Beyfortus) for protecting a wide swath of at-risk infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). At a meeting on Thursday, ACIP recommended that all infants younger than 8 months who are born during or approaching their first […]
ACIP Endorses 20-Valent Pneumococcal Vaccine for Kids
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) agreed unanimously on Thursday to include the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20; Prevnar) as an option for U.S. children. All 14 members voted in favor of the following four proposals: Routine use in children ages 2-23 months: ACIP recommended either the 15-valent PCV (PCV15; Vaxneuvance) or PCV20, […]
Opinion | ‘I Really Feel We Need the Human Data’: What We Heard This Week
“I really feel we need the human data.” — Pablo Sanchez, MD, of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, who cast the only vote against recommending the new bivalent boosters due to the lack of clinical trial data. “It could cause a lot of anxiety in people.” — Sean McGann, MD, an emergency physician […]
New CDC COVID Guidance Wins Plaudits, Brickbats
Two very strong and polarized reactions have swamped Twitter over the CDC’s new loosened COVID-19 guidelines. The comments are slinging from citizens, scientists, and medical practitioners. One camp is happy “it’s finally over.” They post dancing gifs and applaud the new guidelines published Thursday, which recommend that infected individuals isolate for 5 days, and exposed […]
ACIP Backs Moderna’s COVID Shot for Kids 6-17 Years
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend that children ages 6-17 years receive Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. With a 15-0 vote, ACIP endorsed a two-dose primary series of the mRNA vaccine for kids ages 6-11 years (50 mcg per dose) and adolescents ages 12-17 (100 mcg per dose). The […]
CDC’s Advisers Endorse COVID Vaccines in Youngest Kids
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously on Saturday to recommend that children 6 months and older receive COVID-19 vaccines. As proposed by CDC staff, and now approved by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, the recommendations call for a two-dose series of Moderna’s product for children ages 6 months to 5 […]