A big vaccine policy meeting: What to expect, pre-bunking, and some answers to your questions
Katelyn Jetelina Jun 20, from Your Local Epidemiologist
Next week (June 25-26), ACIP—the external committee that sets vaccine policy in the U.S.—meets. Normally, these meetings barely make headlines. They happen three times a year and are usually a routine part of the bureaucratic process determining who gets vaccines and how they’re made available.
Figure created by Your Local Epidemiologist
But these aren’t normal times.
This will be the first meeting since RFK Jr. dismantled the previous committee of 17 and replaced them with eight handpicked members—ranging from anti-vaccine activists to Covid-19 contrarians (i.e., mRNA kills and masks are child abuse) to some with genuine expertise. At this meeting, they’ll discuss fall vaccines for Covid, flu, and RSV, vote on a handful of new policies, and review routine vaccinations. What they say or decide could ripple across insurance coverage, government vaccine programs (which serve nearly half of U.S. kids), school entry requirements, and create widespread confusion.
Here are four things to anticipate: the new members, topics I expect to bubble up on social media, some answered (and unanswered) questions, and some hope.
Note: If you have no idea what I’m talking about, catch up here first before moving on.
1. Time to meet the members
When these new members were appointed, RFK Jr. framed it as “restoring trust,” “bringing in experts,” and “following gold-standard science.” He pointed to credentials like MDs and PhDs.
Those of us raising concerns about this new committee also talk about trust, expertise, and science, but we’re using those words to sound the alarm. One of the most disorienting parts of this moment is that it’s turned into a game of he said, she said.
My advice: don’t focus on the words alone, but on the actions behind them. Trust isn’t declared; it’s earned and demonstrated consistently. Research shows trustworthiness rests on three pillars: (continued on page 2 at www.skyline725.com)