6 years since lockdown: COVID vaccine guidance today

Six years after the first U.S. COVID lockdown, a federal judge blocked parts of HHS vaccine policy changes, paused new ACIP appointments, and ruled some earlier ACIP votes invalid.

Thursday marked six years since the first U.S. COVID-19 lockdown, and federal vaccine guidance remains in flux. Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made several changes to vaccine recommendations in the past year. On March 16 a federal judge blocked parts of those changes and found the new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unlawfully constituted. Key developments: - On March 16 a federal judge blocked parts of HHS's recent vaccine-policy changes and barred the new ACIP appointees from serving because the panel was found unlawfully constituted. - The ruling said earlier ACIP votes to alter timing of the newborn hepatitis B dose and to downgrade broad COVID-19 vaccine recommendations are invalid. - The ACIP meeting scheduled for March 18–19 was postponed, and the administration has announced plans to appeal the decision, including possibly to the Supreme Court. Summary: The court ruling may return federal recommendations to their pre-change status, aligning with schedules previously used by major pediatric organizations for newborn hepatitis B dosing. Some other changes reported by HHS remain in place. Future ACIP meetings and the ultimate legal outcome are undetermined at this time.