HHS Weighs 3 Vaccine Category Overhaul as RFK Jr. Opens Comment Through Sept. 20
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Aug 24
HHS Weighs 3 Vaccine Category Overhaul as RFK Jr. Opens Comment Through Sept. 20
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Aug 24
Summary
A 10-page Request for Information published Monday shows HHS is considering recasting vaccine recommendations so shots now labeled routine or universal could carry more conditional wording.
Kennedy floated alternatives such as “recommended with qualification” and broader use of “shared clinical decision-making,” but set no new rules and instead asked the public to comment by Sept. 20.
The current CDC framework uses three categories—routine, risk-based and shared clinical decision-making—guided by ACIP, an independent advisory panel that has used an evidence-based process.
The review follows a Trump executive order signed two weeks ago that sought to slash and overhaul federal vaccine recommendations, widening concerns about how broadly vaccines will be endorsed.