CDC official who oversaw COVID vaccine recommendations resigns
An official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who oversaw the agency's recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines has resigned, following a week of mixed messaging from federal health officials over who would be eligible for the shots.
"My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role," Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos wrote in her resignation letter obtained by ABC News. In her letter, Panagiotakopoulos said she resigned last Friday.
Reuters first reported her resignation.
Panagiotakopoulos co-led a part of the CDC's independent panel of vaccine advisers to review evidence for recommendations on COVID vaccines. In mid-April, the advisers had discussed the possibility of narrowing the recommendations for who should receive an annual COVID vaccine -- prioritizing those at higher risk such as adults over 65 or those with an underlying condition.
Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the removal of COVID vaccines from the immunization schedule for healthy children and healthy pregnant women.
Later on Friday, the CDC updated the immunization schedule allowing all children to be eligible to receive COVID vaccines, now under a shared clinical decision-making model, which means parents can choose to get their children vaccinated with the advice of a doctor.
The mixed messages prompted concern from some medical organizations.
"American families deserve better," the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said, in part, in a statement. "They deserve clear messages from all involved in their health, that are based on facts so they can continue to benefit from the success story of vaccines."
The statement went on to say: "While the shared clinical decision-making model in the updated immunization schedule preserves families' choice, this model has consistently proven challenging to implement because it lacks clear guidance for the conversations between a doctor and a family. Doctors and families need straightforward, evidence-based guidance, not vague, impractical frameworks," the AAP statement added.
Pregnant women were left without a recommendation on the CDC's immunization schedule as to whether or not to receive the COVID vaccine.
Despite the change in recommendations from HHS, "the science has not changed," the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in part of a statement. "It is very clear that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants after birth," the ACOG statement added.
Federal officials had made the changes to the vaccine recommendations without the input of the CDC's independent panel of vaccine advisers and before their meeting set for late June, according to the public calendar. In the meeting, advisers were set to discuss their recommendation for who should be eligible for COVID vaccines including a vote on whether to narrow the recommendations.
"Governmental guidance about vaccines is an important foundation that enables insurance coverage of—and therefore access to—vaccines, so changing government recommendations about which specific and limited populations should receive COVID-19 vaccines has far-reaching consequences," the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) said in part of a statement.
Some medical and public health organizations had expressed concerns at the officials' change to vaccine recommendations without the input of independent advisers.
"Federal vaccine recommendations have traditionally been developed by medical and public health experts who gather openly to review evidence and receive public input before recommending what vaccines are needed and who should be eligible for them. Conclusions are based on the best available science, and recommendations are communicated with precision and clarity, providing guidance to clinicians to make the best decisions with their patients," part of the IDSA statement read.
