Last week, leading medical societies did something both unusual and indispensable: The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Infectious Diseases Society of America coordinated the release of their recommendations for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV immunization for the coming respiratory virus season.
Those recommendations were informed by an independent evidence review led by the Vaccine Integrity Project, in collaboration with the American Medical Association (AMA), and delivered in the absence of guidance from CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) -- historically the source of data-based vaccine recommendations.
Immunizations against flu, COVID, and RSV continue to reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalization, and our review found no new safety concerns in comparative studies, making a strong case for vaccination. But publishing recommendations based on the sound science in the vaccine evidence review is only the first step. Now comes the harder part.
It's Tough Now -- and It May Get Tougher
The federal vaccine review and recommendation process broke down last year. Now it has eroded even further.
