By Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics
“After confusing, mixed messages from leaders at Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week, we are relieved to see today that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its schedules for child and adolescent immunizations to allow families to maintain the choice to immunize their children against Covid in consultation with their doctor.
“Including the vaccine on the schedule means the vaccine will be covered by insurance. This means many children and adolescents can access a vaccine to protect them from some of the serious complications of this disease, including long Covid. However, the deeply flawed process to reach the recommendation raises serious concerns about the stability of the nation’s immunization infrastructure and commitment by federal leaders to make sure families can access critical immunizations, whether for Covid or other infectious diseases.
“American families deserve better. They deserve clear messages from all involved in their health, that are based on facts so they can continue to benefit from the success story of vaccines.
“Important decisions about vaccine recommendations should be made in a transparent, evidence-based process that includes input from public health experts, medical professionals, and experts in immunology and infectious diseases. That is not what happened in this case. Instead, this week, leaders within HHS, CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rolled out conflicting, confusing and incomplete recommendations, with no coordination with the groups of physicians who would be tasked with implementing them, and no explanation of the evidence used to reach their conclusions.
“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has been considering a move to a risk-based recommendation for Covid vaccines to guide doctors and families. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases will also be examining the evidence to determine the Academy’s recommendations, as is our usual process. While the shared clinical decision-making model in the updated immunization schedule preserves families’ choice, this model has consistently proven challenging to implement because it lacks clear guidance for the conversations between a doctor and a family. Doctors and families need straightforward, evidence-based guidance, not vague, impractical frameworks.
“It is also important to preserve the ability for health care workers to access Covid vaccine to protect themselves, their families and their patients. Pregnant women must also be able to access the vaccine. We know that pregnant women are at significantly higher risk of serious illness due to Covid infection, and vaccinating during pregnancy also helps protect their newborn infants.
“The AAP urges our nation’s public health leaders to return to a process that is transparent, based in science, inclusive of medical expertise, and focused on the needs of children and families. The AAP also urges families to continue to talk with their pediatricians about their child’s immunizations. For many families, the Covid vaccine will remain an important way they protect their child and family from this disease and its complications, including long Covid. Pediatricians are ready to have those conversations with families to keep children healthy so they can thrive.”
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.