Overview

• ACIP, overhauled by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted to end a universal COVID-19 recommendation and endorsed shared clinical decision-making for everyone 6 months and older.
• The panel unanimously recommended updated shots for people 65 and older and said benefits are greatest for younger people with underlying conditions, aligning with FDA’s narrowed August authorizations.
• A proposal to recommend state prescription requirements failed on a 6–6 split after chair Martin Kulldorff cast a tie-breaking no vote.
• Members urged stronger informed-consent materials and clinician discussions of risks and benefits, and they advanced changes to the childhood schedule by advising separate MMR and varicella shots for under-4s and aligning the Vaccines for Children program.
• A vote to delay the newborn hepatitis B shot was postponed, though the committee supported universal hepatitis B testing in pregnancy, as states and major insurers including AHIP and Kaiser move to maintain broad COVID-19 vaccine access and coverage through 2026.