Governor Gavin Newsom of California, Governor Tina Kotek of Oregon, Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington and Governor Josh Green of Hawaii announced this week coordinated winter virus vaccination recommendations through the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA). These recommendations include the 2025–26 COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccines.

In addition, Gov. Newsom signed AB 144 authorizing California to base future immunization guidance on credible, independent medical organizations rather than the CDC’s “increasingly politicized” Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

In a joint statement from governors Newsom, Kotek, Ferguson, and Green, “Our states are united in putting science, safety, and transparency first – and in protecting families with clear, credible vaccine guidance. The West Coast Health Alliance stands united in protecting public health and always putting safety before politics.” 

“We want the people who live and work in our states to know that there is a strong public health, healthcare & scientific community that will continue to stand together to provide and use the data and evidence needed for you to make healthy choices, and we are here to protect our communities,” stated Dr. Erica Pan, director of the California Dept. of Public Health.

According to its website, the ACIP approved the following recommendations by majority votes at its June 25-26 meeting:

RSV Immunizations ACIP recommends infants aged [less than] < 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season who are not protected by maternal vaccination receive one dose of clesrovimab. There is no preferential recommendation between nirsevimab and clesrovimab.

This recommendation was adopted by the CDC director on Aug. 4 and is now an official recommendation of the CDC.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccines ACIP reaffirms the recommendations for routine annual influenza vaccination of all persons aged ≥ 6 months [or greater] who do not have contraindications for the 2025-2026 season.

ACIP recommends only single-dose formulations of annual influenza vaccines that are free of thimerosal as a preservative for three populations:

• Children 18 years or younger
• Pregnant women
• All adults

With no current director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (as of Sept. 24  Jim O’Neill was named the acting director of the CDC having been appointed after the ousting of the previous director Susan Monarez) and pending confirmation of a new CDC director, these recommendations were adopted by the HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on July 22 and are now official recommendations of the CDC.

The WCHA will continue to build its structure, evaluate new evidence and recommendations as they become available, and determine how to ensure the review process is transparent. WCHA is committed to sharing any updated assessments with our communities.”

To learn more about these updated recommendations, visit https://tinyurl.com/3hcvu38y.