Overview

• California, Oregon and Washington launched the West Coast Health Alliance on Sept. 3 to issue evidence-based immunization recommendations drawing on national medical groups.
• Massachusetts will require insurers to cover vaccines recommended by its health department, New Mexico ordered broad access to COVID-19 shots, and Colorado and Pennsylvania cleared pharmacy barriers, with Colorado allowing pharmacists to vaccinate without individual prescriptions starting Sept. 5.
• Florida’s surgeon general announced a plan to end all school vaccine mandates, a move that still requires approval from the state health department and the legislature.
• With ACIP’s membership overhauled in June and a September meeting pending, 18 states and D.C. face questions about pharmacists’ authority and insurance coverage that typically hinge on ACIP guidance.
• The CDC is in flux after Director Susan Monarez was ousted Aug. 27 and several senior leaders resigned, and HHS reminded states that providers in the federal Vaccines for Children program must honor state religious and conscience-based exemptions.