US Vaccine Panel Withdraws Recommendation for Covid-19 Vaccination in Adults

A key US vaccine advisory committee has voted to stop recommending all adults get the Covid-19 vaccine, which has until now been officially approved for most Americans annually since the pandemic.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (Acip) also narrowly voted against advocating prescriptions for the Covid vaccine.

In two days of meetings, Acip changed its recommendations on the combined measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) vaccine, and delayed plans for a vote on the hepatitis B vaccine.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine sceptic, fired all 17 members of the committee in June and handpicked their successors, sparking uproar in the medical community.

The panel spent Friday debating the Covid-19 vaccine, which has for the past several years been a routine recommendation, like the yearly flu jab.

Acip voted to abandon broad support for recommending the jab, including for high-risk populations like people aged over 65. Instead, it decided they could make their own decision after talking with a medical professional.

In May, the federal government stopped recommending Covid-19 vaccines for healthy pregnant women and children.

There was confusion during the debate over the MMRV vaccine - measles, mumps and rubella, and varicella (commonly known as chickenpox). On Thursday, the panel voted against recommending the combined MMRV shot for children aged four and under. But on Friday they decided to endorse two separate jabs - a combined one for measles, mumps and rubella, and another for varicella.

The American Medical Association, which represents doctors and medical students, said the new MMRV recommendations leave parents confused.

The panel also delayed a vote on whether newborns whose mothers have tested negative for hepatitis B during pregnancy should automatically receive a jab for the liver virus.

The Acip has cast doubt on the hepatitis B vaccine for months, even though scientists say it is safe and effective at preventing the infection. In June, the panel's new chairman Dr. Martin Kulldorff questioned whether it was wise to give the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns.

Since Kennedy took office in January, he has overhauled the CDC, leading to resignations among senior staff and controversy regarding his positions on vaccinations.