CONNECTICUT — Connecticut residents find themselves in the middle of dueling vaccination guidelines, as state health officials have just released recommendations that conflict with those of their federal counterparts.
On Tuesday, the Connecticut Department of Public Health published its “COVID Updates and Interim Guidance.” The guidance recommends two vaccine doses for children ages 6 months to 2 years who have not previously been vaccinated, as well as one dose for pregnant patients. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently dropped both groups from its list of recommended recipients.
Specifically, the state DPH recommends that infants 6–23 months of age should receive two or more doses if they are previously unvaccinated and/or are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Previously vaccinated children who did not complete the initial series should receive just one dose, according to state health officials.
State officials said the guidance reflects evidence-based recommendations from groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The CDC still recommends a COVID vaccine for most adults ages 18 and older, but now suggests parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of vaccination with a health care provider. The agency has also published a juvenile vaccinations guide for health care providers online here.
While federal actions restrict eligibility for adults ages 18 to 65 with no underlying medical conditions, Connecticut prescribers and pharmacists may order, prescribe, and administer the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals who fall outside the eligibility criteria authorized by the FDA, consistent with “off-label” use.
“As uncertainty in Washington continues, our administration is doing everything we can to ensure the residents of Connecticut have access to the health care they need to stay safe,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Making vaccines accessible is grounded in health and safety, which is too important to leave to the whims of a political agenda. Vaccines have been proven for many decades to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death, and patients and their doctors should be able to decide what is the best course of treatment for themselves. We will not allow gridlock in Washington to put the people of our state at risk.”
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Based upon the current guidance from DPH and the medical academies, there will be no change to existing COVID-19 immunization coverage in Connecticut-issued insurance policies, regardless of the CDC’s position.
Connecticut health officials aren’t the only ones offering their own guidance to residents, which differs from the federal government. The governors of California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii last week announced the formation of a West Coast Health Alliance, a response to what they call “the Trump Administration’s destruction of the U.S. CDC’s credibility and scientific integrity.”
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