On September 18, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held its two-day panel.
Beginning the meeting, Martin Kulldorff, the committee chair, wasted the time of the public and panel by advertising that the committee was not against vaccines. Their immediate subsequent actions proved otherwise. Even if they were telling the truth, it is not the job of ACIP to promote itself. And even if that was its job, the current members of ACIP should reflect on why they are accused of being against vaccines, when ACIP boards under previous administrations were not.
This composition of ACIP lacks credibility to such an extent that, on September 16, America’s Health Insurance Plans, which represents the country’s health insurance companies, stated that companies planned to cover vaccines that were recommended before this month’s ACIP meeting.
Kulldorff cast the deciding no vote against the prescription of COVID-19 vaccines for state and local authorities (COVID-19 lingers as of the time of writing). This is despite a consensus by health experts that the shots are safe and effective. The experts also warned that the committee offered confusing recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines and erected unnecessary barriers.
Giving in to pressure and lacking conviction, ACIP resisted the urge to vote against newborns taking the hepatitis B vaccine.
ACIP also voted to remove the option for a combined vaccine that children under four may take, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV). While the committee did vote to recommend an MMR vaccine that children up to the age of three can take that protects against chickenpox, this vote was performative at best as the “option already exists and some physicians already recommend it to caregivers.”
During this ACIP meeting, the mask slipped off, fully revealing that ACIP intends to dismantle decades of medical progress that were enabled by the proliferation of vaccines.
