‘Not going to let Donald Trump or RFK Jr. stand between patients and the care they need and want’: Healey promises vaccine access for all families

Governor Maura Healey is promising vaccine access for all families in Massachusetts ahead of a federal vaccine committee meeting on Thursday that could lead to a change or restriction in access to some childhood vaccines. “This is about making sure that we’re protecting public health,” Healey said. “I want Massachusetts – everyone in Massachusetts – to have access to the healthcare that they need.” The federal advisory panel will deliberate Thursday and Friday on the need for annual shots for diseases like rubella, chicken pox, and measles, all of which are administered to young children. The panel will also discuss recommendations for the COVID vaccine. The panel has several new members, all appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, who has been criticized in the past for being a skeptic of vaccines. On Wednesday, former CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez told a congressional committee that Kennedy plans to change immunization schedules for children. “I had suggested that I would be open to changing childhood vaccine schedules, if the evidence or signs were supportive, and he responded that there was no science or evidence associated with the childhood vaccine schedule,” she said. Also on Wednesday, the state department of public health released its COVID-19 vaccination guidance, recommending children from 6 to 23 months, at-risk children from 2 to 18 years, adults 65 and older, and pregnant women should get that vaccine. Officials said everyone else may still access the latest vaccine. “We’re a healthcare leader in this country and we’re not going to let Donald Trump or RFK Jr. stand between patients and the care they need and want,” Healey said. Massachusetts also launched the Northeast Public Health Collaborative aimed at strengthening regional readiness to protect public health.