Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Insurers Will Cover All Vaccines Through 2026 With No Cost-Sharing
CIDRAP: Insurance Trade Group Says COVID, Flu Vaccines Covered Through 2026
In a major development, AHIP (formerly America's Health Insurance Plans), the insurance company trade group, announced that it will continue to cover updated COVID vaccines and flu vaccines through the end of 2026. The announcement comes just before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is set to meet beginning tomorrow to discuss the use of and recommendations for those vaccines. (Soucheray, 9/17)
CBS News: Inside The CDC Vaccine Panel's High-Stakes Meeting: Science, Politics And The Future Of Vaccination
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will convene Thursday and Friday of this week under an unaccustomed spotlight. The committee, known as ACIP, usually attracts little attention as it deliberates vaccine schedules and eligibility, but suddenly finds itself navigating political scrutiny, public skepticism and internal upheaval. The stakes extend well beyond the technical details of dosing intervals or eligibility cutoffs. (Gounder, 9/17)
The New York Times: Western States Issue Their Own Vaccine Recommendations To Counter Kennedy
Four Democratic-controlled Western states on Wednesday issued their own recommendations on who should get three common seasonal vaccines, a sharp rejection of efforts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to upend vaccine policy at the federal level. The so-called West Coast Health Alliance — which includes health officials in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii — recommended that every resident 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine this fall. (Baumgaertner Nunn, 9/17)
The Washington Post: Why Seniors Who Want Covid Shots Should Consider Getting One This Week
For people 65 or older considering getting a new covid shot, this week might be the best opportunity to get vaccinated without complications before a federal vaccine advisory committee’s scheduled Friday vote to issue recommendations. That’s because that panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, has been weighing revisions to coronavirus vaccine recommendations that could make it more difficult for seniors to access the shots as soon as this weekend, according to several people familiar with their deliberations. (Sun and Ovalle, 9/17)
In covid research —
CIDRAP: Moderna Data Show Strong Immune Response To Updated COVID Vaccine
Moderna yesterday announced promising preliminary immunogenicity data for its 2025-26 formulation of Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, which targets the LP.8.1 variant. In a press release, the company said the data are from an ongoing phase 4 clinical trial to gauge the safety, tolerability, and immune response to the updated Spikevax vaccine. The findings come ahead of a September 19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is slated to discuss and vote on vaccine recommendations. (Schnirring, 9/17)
MedPage Today: Antibody Titers After COVID Vaccination Can Help Predict Infection Risk
Measuring a person's immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody titers after a COVID-19 booster vaccination could reveal who's at greater risk of infection and thus in greater need of revaccination, regardless of broader age and comorbidity risk factors, according to a longitudinal analysis from Japan. (Rudd, 9/17)
CIDRAP: Studies Show Mostly Poor Long-COVID Protection For Paxlovid
Two new studies find limited evidence of the usefulness of Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) to prevent the development of long COVID—but with a small reduction for older COVID-19 patients. (Soucheray, 9/16)
