Overview

• The Governors Public Health Alliance brings together leaders from states including Illinois, New York, California, Colorado, and others, representing roughly one-third of the U.S. population.
• Participants say the alliance will share best practices, issue joint guidance, liaise with global health partners, and explore bulk purchasing of vaccines and medical supplies once handled by federal agencies.
• The move follows narrowed federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations by the FDA and ACIP and recent CDC changes, prompting several governors to authorize pharmacists to continue vaccinating across age groups.
• Operational gaps were highlighted by a partial government shutdown that reportedly led to about 600 CDC layoffs and blocked planned outbreak deployments, with Maine citing a halted HIV and hepatitis C response team.
• An HHS spokesman defended the administration’s policies as grounded in rigorous evidence, while Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker noted state measures to preserve vaccine access and to plan contingencies for Vaccines for Children, along with limits on autism-data collection.