The multistate group formed to issue public health recommendations for Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii has released additional guidance on immunizations for respiratory viruses this fall.
The latest direction from the West Coast Health Alliance reinforces what are considered best practices for increasing protection against influenza, RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19, the states' governors said in a Wednesday announcement. The recommendations for flu and RSV immunizations align with current national guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has not yet issued its recommendations around updated COVID shots, but its vaccine advisory committee plans to address the topic this week.
Washington health leaders addressed COVID vaccine recommendations earlier this month, when they issued a standing order that allows anyone 6 months and older in the state to get the shot without a prescription. The move contradicted a decision from the Food and Drug Administration to approve the updated vaccine only for people 65 and over and those with underlying health conditions.
Official direction around COVID vaccines will be published on the CDC's immunization schedule after the agency's advisory committee and the CDC director finalize their guidance.
The Alliance’s recommendations are rooted in science, giving our communities confidence in the guidance we provide," Washington state Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham said in Wednesday's news release.
Governors from Washington, Oregon and California announced the formation of the West Coast Health Alliance in early September, as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s “destruction” of the CDC, which “has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science,” they said then.
The mission is to offer residents credible information about vaccine safety and efficacy, the group said.
Hawaii joined the alliance about a day later.
Per Wednesday's guidance from the alliance and the CDC, everyone 6 months and older should receive a flu vaccine, including people who are pregnant, plan to be pregnant, postpartum or lactating. There are some rare exceptions, including those who have had an allergic reaction to a prior flu shot.
Babies younger than 8 months should be immunized against RSV, as well as children between 8 and 19 months old with risk factors, the West Coast Health Alliance said. People between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy; adults between 50 and 74 with risk factors; and adults 75 and older should also get an RSV vaccine, according to the recommendations.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Health noted that if a birth parent receives an RSV vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, their baby does not need additional immunization. If not, the baby should receive nirsevimab — a monoclonal antibody — to protect against severe RSV disease, the spokesperson said.
That instruction also matches information from the CDC.
While Washington has already pushed out guidance on COVID vaccines, the four-state group on Wednesday further detailed who exactly should get an updated shot.
In addition to the following groups, anyone who chooses protection should get a COVID vaccine, the alliance said.
The list includes:
* Children who are between 6 and 23 months
* Children between 2 and 18 with risk factors or who have never been vaccinated against COVID
* Children in close contact with others who have risk factors
* People who are pregnant, planning to be pregnant, postpartum or lactating
* Adults 65 and older
* Adults under 65 with risk factors
* Adults who are in close contact with others who have risk factors
The guidance is "grounded in safety, efficacy, transparency, access and trust," and is based on input from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, the alliance said.
“Science matters. We will ensure our policies are based on rigorous science," Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a Wednesday news release from the state health department. "We stand united with our partner states and medical experts to put public health and safety before politics."
The alliance said it plans to continue to "build its structure and evaluate new evidence as it becomes available.
© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
