A crucial government panel of vaccine advisors will hold its first meeting Wednesday since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed several vaccine critics to the group.
Earlier this month, Kennedy in a stunning step removed and replaced all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group reviews vaccine data and makes recommendations that determine who is eligible for shots and whether insurers should cover them, among other efforts.
It is unclear how Kennedy’s new members, given some of their skepticism of immunizations, will affect vaccine policy and availability in the U.S.
During a full-day meeting Wednesday in Atlanta, the panel will evaluate data on Covid-19 vaccines and RSV shots, with a vote on recommendations for the latter. The group will convene again on Thursday to review data on shots for the flu and other diseases.
The CDC director has to sign off on those recommendations for them to become official policy.
