Overview

• ACIP unanimously endorsed individual-based decision making for adults 65 and older and for people aged 6 months to 64 years, with emphasis on weighing risk–benefit for those at higher risk of severe disease.
• Authorized providers will be expected to discuss specific risks and benefits with each patient before COVID-19 vaccination following a unanimous vote.
• The panel voted 11–1 to update federally required vaccine information sheets to enumerate at least six risks and uncertainties.
• A 6–6 tie halted a proposal to require prescriptions for COVID-19 shots, leaving vaccines available without a doctor’s order; ACIP chair Martin Kulldorff said he understood insurance coverage would continue under the new language.
• In separate action, ACIP voted 8–3 to raise the minimum recommended age for the combined MMRV vaccine to 4 years.