CDC Vaccine Advisors to Vote (Today) on COVID Shots for Kids, by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s independent vaccine advisory panel will meet on Wednesday and Thursday. While the wording on the meeting agenda is vague, it appears the committee may vote on whether to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) independent vaccine advisory panel will meet on Wednesday and Thursday. While the wording on the meeting agenda is vague, it appears the committee may vote on whether to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meets three times a year to discuss vaccine recommendations. Afterward, the agency sets immunization schedules based on the committee’s recommendations.

This week’s agenda also includes a vote on adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the federally funded Vaccines for Children Program, which provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay, and the “2023 child and adolescent schedule revisions.” …