By Sophia Spiegel
Boston University News Service
Local health officials are working to bridge the policy gap between Massachusetts’ broader vaccine guidance and a federal panel’s decision to drop universal COVID-19 recommendations ahead of the respiratory virus season.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health expanded its vaccine recommendations on Sept. 17, two days before the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices narrowed its own standards. It’s a move that was anticipated by Gov. Maura Healey, who acted early to guarantee residents continued access to shots.
“There are federal regulations that could possibly impact our licenses, but the governor and commissioner’s actions, and their commitment to partner with other Northeast communities, put us in a much better place,” said Hopkinton Health Director Shaun McAuliffe. “It’s not zero risk, but we feel more comfortable completing our regulatory obligations.”
The DPH announced its 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine guidance on Sept. 17, recommending shots for all children ages 6-23 months; adults 65 and older; those who are pregnant and breastfeeding; health care workers; and people with underlying conditions or weakened immune systems. Healthy children ages 2-18 and adults under 65 are also eligible.
State officials said the directives are grounded in “an extensive review of current scientific data” and align with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The policy also reflects a consensus statement from the newly formed Northeast Public Health Collaborative, a group of regional public health agencies and leaders that share information and ideas about public health issues, including vaccination.
“We’re not going to let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy take away your ability to make your own health care decisions,” Healey said in a press release.
What steps has Mass. taken to make vaccines accessible?
In recent weeks, Massachusetts has taken steps to ensure vaccines remain accessible. The state issued a standing order allowing pharmacists to vaccinate all eligible residents for COVID-19 and a bulletin directing insurers to cover the cost of recommended doses. In addition, the Board of Registration in Pharmacy authorized pharmacists to administer any vaccine approved by Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.
“We knew what Massachusetts was going to do, and we knew that they were taking action because the state didn’t want to compromise the health and well-being of its residents,” McAuliffe said.
Washington sent a different message. Meeting for the first time under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new appointees, the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel voted unanimously to drop universal COVID-19 recommendations. Instead, members endorsed “shared clinical decision-making,” shifting decisions to patients and their health care providers.
“Ultimately, any changes that sow doubt in parents’ minds about either the effectiveness or risks of childhood vaccines without being backed up by scientific consensus makes it more difficult to keep community rates high enough, not only to protect the otherwise healthy children, but the vulnerable ones as well, who rely on a vaccinated community to keep infection rates low,” Dr. Karen Sadler, Framingham’s public health medical director and public schools physician, wrote in an email.
Local pediatrician says federal advice is ‘confusing’
The federal panel also reversed itself on the combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine, known as MMRV. After initially voting to keep the shot covered under the Vaccines for Children program, members later rescinded that decision, removing MMRV from the federal schedule entirely.
“Most children in this country receive the MMR and varicella vaccines separately,” Sadler, who is also a pediatrician, wrote. “While the combined MMRV vaccine does increase the risk of a febrile seizure, the risk increases from 4 in 10,000 (or 0.0004%) to 0.0008%. The risk is low and the advice confusing.”
Milford Public Health Director Amanda Wilson said her town will continue to follow Massachusetts’ stricter approach.
“We certainly are looking to our local and state officials and their guidance over what the federal government is doing at this point,” she said. “We’re going to look at the more stringent policy — the existing Massachusetts regulations have been our guidelines from prior to any change in federal recommendations.”
Milford Public Schools already offers vaccination clinics and is looking to expand them. As part of that effort, the district applied for a grant last year, and Wilson’s office submitted a letter of support.
“There’s more of a push for school-aged children, making sure they have access to vaccinations, whether that’s through their medical provider, pharmacies or the Milford Public Schools’ own clinics,” Wilson said. “For families new to the community without a primary care physician, the schools still allow children to access needed vaccines.”
State’s bottom line message: Vaccines remain available and recommended
Still, questions remain about how families will navigate coverage and timing.
“It’s worth the parents taking a second to consult with their HR departments or their insurance company just to verify that the vaccinations will be covered by their insurance,” McAuliffe said.
State officials said that’s why Massachusetts acted before the federal vote.
“Massachusetts has never backed away from doing what is hard when it is also right,” said Goldstein, the state’s public health commissioner. “Today, we’re protecting our residents by providing recommendations grounded in evidence and science, driven by equity, and shaped by the lived experiences of our communities.”
The federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices‘ recommendations still require approval from Jim O’Neill, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though historically those votes are accepted with little change. In the meantime, the immediate message for Massachusetts residents is straightforward: Vaccines remain available and recommended, even if the message from Washington is less certain.
“I had an aunt with polio who lived in an iron lung for a while and then needed braces to get around,” McAuliffe said. “I don’t want anybody to have to deal with the health effects that my parents and my grandparents went through, and we don’t have to anymore because we have vaccines.”
This story originally appeared in MetroWest Daily News.
