Pa., wary of federal guidance, turns to medical groups for vaccine advice

Pennsylvanians should get vaccine advice from professional medical associations, not Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services, state officials said Monday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is telling patients and doctors to consult three organizations for guidance on shots: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The announcement applies to all medical providers in the state. Previously, only pharmacists in Pennsylvania were told to look to these groups for guidance on who should get certain vaccines and when.

Notably absent is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which physicians, pharmacists and public health experts historically used as a go-to source for vaccine information.

For many in the medical community, the agency’s credibility has deteriorated under Kennedy as he pushes unproven theories about vaccines, autism and more. Those negative perceptions only deepened last week after his handpicked vaccine advisers declined to recommend the latest covid-19 shots.

“While the federal government sows confusion, here in Pennsylvania, we are providing clear, evidence-based guidance to ensure Pennsylvanians and their doctors have trusted sources of information,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement.

The vaccine advisory panel, recently remade by Kennedy with like-minded experts, also recommended against a combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox shot for children under 4 years old.

The change had some clinical basis, experts previously told TribLive, but could needlessly limit the ability of parents and doctors to choose between combined and separate immunizations against the diseases.

Earlier this month, the state Board of Pharmacy added the three medical associations to its list of recommending bodies, allowing pharmacists to more freely give covid-19 shots.

Pharmacists must still follow guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that limits the vaccines to people 65 and older and younger people with underlying conditions. Only a prescription can override these rules.

Links to the groups’ recommended vaccine schedules are available on the Department of Health website.

The department also said Pennsylvanians will continue to get insurance coverage for shots recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of last year.