New York joins a multistate health coalition to counteract chaos in federal vaccine distribution efforts
The Northeast Public Health Collaborative, a partnership consisting of New York City, state health departments, and six other Northeastern states, has announced its official COVID vaccine guidance. This move comes as a response to faltering trust in federal public health agencies and an attempt to strengthen public health and build confidence in vaccines and science-based medicine.
The collaborative, which includes New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Maine, was formed with the intention of helping each other build up their public health lab capacity and share data. According to Dr. James McDonald, the New York state health commissioner, this collaboration is crucial for taking care of their populations.
In contrast to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Northeast Public Health Collaborative's COVID vaccine guidance preempts recommendations from the ACIP. This shift in public health landscape is evident in New York, where Dr. McDonald stated that he is already seeing widespread coverage for the COVID shot based on state recommendations and guidance from professional medical groups.
The ACIP, however, is still actively discussing and voting on recommendations around COVID vaccines, as well as shots for hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. Officials in New York and other states in the collaborative are monitoring the ACIP's discussion and will consider how to respond.
The formation of the Northeast Public Health Collaborative was also influenced by the erosion of trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as acknowledged by Dr. McDonald. The collaborative aims to ensure trust in public health and strengthen confidence in vaccines and science-based medicine.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the West Coast Health Alliance, which includes the U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, was announced last month. This development further underscores the growing trend of regional public health collaborations in response to the ongoing pandemic.
As the Northeast Public Health Collaborative continues to issue guidance and collaborate, it will be interesting to see how this affects the public health landscape and the distribution of vaccines in the region.
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