Health dept: 'Vaccine science remains unchanged'

FINDLAY — While the federal government has changed its recommended vaccine schedule, the science remains unchanged, and vaccines are still available and generally covered by insurance, Laura Reinhart told the Hancock County Board of Health Friday. Reinhart, director of nursing for Hancock Public Health, gave an update on the recommended childhood vaccine schedule at Friday's Board of Health meeting. She explained that the childhood immunization schedule is changing to three distinct categories: immunizations recommended for all children, immunizations recommended for certain high-risk groups or populations, and immunizations based off of shared clinical decision-making. There are 11 immunizations in the first group, recommended for all children. Previously, there had been 17, Reinhart said. She noted that often the immunizations are combined, with multiple vaccines in one shot, so 17 recommended immunizations did not mean a child would necessarily receive 17 shots. The 11 now in this category include: diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox). There are six vaccines in the category of immunizations recommended for certain groups or high-risk populations: respiratory syncytical virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B. Six are in the category of immunizations based on shared clinical decision-making: rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Some vaccinations are on both the "recommended for high-risk" and the "shared clinical decision-making" list, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that certain populations of children go ahead and get the vaccine while families of others rely on shared clinical decision-making. Reinhart said that, when a child comes in to get vaccines, Hancock Public Health and other healthcare providers generally base it off of the child's age and when the vaccines are recommended. Shared clinical decision-making means that the provider giving the vaccine would talk to the parent about the risks and benefits of the vaccine, and then they would determine together whether that child should receive the vaccine. Whenever changes to CDC recommendations come up, Reinhart said, it can lead to concerns about whether insurance will cover the vaccines. "We don't want people to go without vaccines just because their insurance won't cover it," she said. She said the federal government has stated all of the vaccines will still be fully covered by insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Reinhart said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be working with state agencies to educate parents and healthcare providers on the updated schedule. "No vaccines were removed from the schedule … Also, very importantly, the science remains unchanged," Reinhart said. She said some vaccines have been moved to a different section of the schedule, and are no longer recommended "for all children," but the vaccines remain available. Nothing has changed as far as the science behind why healthcare providers recommend vaccination as the primary way to prevent illness, she said. She added that professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have not changed their recommendations. In a January post on their website, the American Academy of Pediatrics described the federal government's recent changes to vaccine recommendations as "dangerous and unnecessary." "At a time when parents, pediatricians and the public are looking for clear guidance and accurate information, this ill-considered decision will sow further chaos and confusion and erode confidence in immunizations," AAP President Andrew D. Racine, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP, said in the article. "This is no way to make our country healthier."