The governors of Oregon, Washington and California said Wednesday they’re forming a coalition to establish their own vaccine and immunization recommendations.
The three Democratic governors — Oregon’s Tina Kotek, Washington’s Bob Ferguson and California’s Gavin Newsom — said their states formed a West Coast Health Alliance “to ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics” in response to what they called the Trump administration’s “dismantling” of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s credibility and independence.
“The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” the three governors said in a statement. “California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.”
Kotek said the three states will coordinate public health guidelines based on recommendations from “scientific experts in trusted medical professional organizations.” She said each state will continue to craft policies tailored to its own communities but will work together where possible to provide residents with consistent and credible vaccine guidance.
It was not immediately clear how the new partnership would affect Oregonians’ access to the latest COVID-19 vaccines in light of new federal restrictions.
Last week, federal regulators cleared updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax that target newer variants of the virus. But unlike in previous years, the approval leaves many without clear access to the vaccine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the new shots for anyone age 65 and older, and for anyone six months and older who has “at least one underlying condition” that puts them at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.
That leaves out healthy children and younger adults.
What counts as a qualifying risk factor isn’t entirely clear. The FDA hasn’t published a definitive list. The CDC did release guidance in June identifying 21 conditions — ranging from cancer and chronic lung disease to obesity, depression, a history of smoking and physical inactivity.
Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Disease Society of America, said in a statement the FDA’s decision to limit the COVID-19 vaccine’s approval “contradicts the evidence base, severely undermines trust in science-driven policy and dangerously limits vaccine access.”
In past years, the CDC relied on advice from an expert panel called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to guide recommendations. The CDC typically adopted those recommendations as national policy.
This year, that process was interrupted.
Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the entire committee, and replacements appointed by Kennedy have yet to make recommendations on the new COVID-19 vaccines. The committee is scheduled to meet Sept. 18 and 19.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration removed CDC Director Susan Monarez following disputes over vaccine policy. Several of the agency’s top leaders resigned soon after.
The Oregon, Washington and California governors said their states would craft their own recommendations “informed by respected national medical organizations.”
Pharmacies and drugstores have been the most common venue for vaccinations — accounting for about 90% of adult COVID-19 doses last year, according to the CDC.
Oregon has historically aligned its pharmacy vaccination policies with the CDC’s immunization’s recommendations, according to Brian Mayo, executive director of the Oregon State Pharmacy Association.
Under that arrangement, Mayo said, even people who fit the FDA’s narrow eligibility range will still need to get a prescription to get a COVID-19 vaccine from a pharmacist, since pharmacies are only able to dole out shots if they’re recommended by the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.
The delay of federal guidance has caused confusion and a delayed rollout at pharmacies as the seasonal flu and COVID shots rollout gets underway, Mayo said.
Interviewed prior to Wednesday’s announcement by the state governors, Mayo said that without the advisory committee recommendation in place, Oregon pharmacists cannot give the new shots without a doctor’s prescription, Mayo said.
“Before, you could just go down to your local pharmacy, get your flu shot and your COVID vaccine at the same time,” he said. “Now you’re not necessarily able to do that because you need to have a prescription in order to do it.”
There’s also the question of whether insurance companies would pay for shots recommended by state health authorities but not their federal counterparts.
Pat Hubbell, owner of Brooklyn Pharmacy in Southeast Portland — who was interviewed before the governors’ announcement — said if Oregon and other states decide to make their own protocols and allow pharmacists to offer the COVID-19 vaccine without the CDC’s recommendation, “it’s not clear if the state will pick up the bill or if insurance will cover it.”
“I don’t know repercussions for the state if it decides to go against (the CDC vaccine advisory committee),” he said. “That’s uncharted territory, and we’ll see how that’ll all unfold.”
Hubbell said the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is high.
“We’re coming up on flu shot season, coupled with RSV and COVID-19. It’s prime time for vaccines, and there’s a lot of anxiety from people about availability from the public,” he said.
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