An arm of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is recommending four new vaccines this year while asserting that many Americans are not “up to date” on the shots.
In a recent news release, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said that the 2024 “schedule is particularly important because many adults are not up-to-date on recommended vaccines.”
The four new vaccines that the CDC’s ACIP added to its list include the updated COVID-19 booster shot, one for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another for meningitis, and one for monkeypox—or Mpox—for the first time.
The agency again recommended that all American adults get at least one dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Several weeks ago, the CDC issued an advisory saying that the uptake of COVID-19 and influenza shots appears to be relatively lower than in previous years.
“The number of doses needed and intervals between doses may vary based on a patient’s prior vaccination history, immunocompromised status, and the vaccine product used,” the CDC added.
A vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was also placed on the list, recommended for pregnant women “who are 32 weeks through 36 weeks gestation from September through January in most of the continental United States.” It further said that people aged 60 and older can get the shot
It also recommended doses of the monkeypox vaccine for adults who are at risk of being infected. Meanwhile, a combined vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease—MenACWY-MenB—was also recommended.
The CDC also recommended that All adults get at least one dose of the updated COVID vaccine formula.
Last month, the CDC issued an alert that urged health care providers to help increase vaccination rates for COVID-19, RSV, and influenza, saying that those providers should recommend both those vaccines and anti-viral medications.
In mid-December, the agency said there were 7.4 million fewer influenza vaccine doses administered to adults in pharmacies and physician offices compared with the 2022–2023 influenza season. Nearly 16 percent of U.S. adults aged 60 years and higher were reported to have taken an RSV vaccine, and 36 percent of U.S. adults aged 65 years and higher took a COVID-19 shot for the 2023-2024 period, it found.
Concerns About Vaccines
A survey published in the JAMA Network late last month shows that a significant portion of Americans are more concerned about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines than influenza shots.
It found that about 42 percent of Americans believed COVID-19 shots effectively prevented hospitalizations or serious illness, while 40 percent felt the same about influenza vaccines.
The authors wrote that, meanwhile, “views diverged on vaccine safety, where a higher share said influenza vaccines are very safe compared with COVID-19 vaccines.” Some 55 percent believed that flu shots were “very safe,” whereas 41 percent believed COVID-19 shots were the same.
Forty-nine percent said they are very likely to get influenza shot this season, whereas 36 percent said they would receive one of the COVID-19 vaccines, according to the study.
The recommendations come as The Epoch Times exclusively reported this week that the CDC drafted an alert for local and state officials for an emerging connection between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines. However, according to a document, the agency ultimately decided against sending it out.
In May 2021, CDC officials drafted an alert on myocarditis and the two most widely used COVID-19 shots, according to the newly obtained document, which is being made public for the first time by The Epoch Times. But ultimately, the choice to change the alert to a statement was made after a call with CDC partners.
“This is the most recent draft of an alert as discussed. Happy to discuss,” Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the CDC’s top official for equity in COVID-19 data and engagement, told two other high-ranking CDC colleagues in the email. It was titled “draft alert on myocarditis and mRNA vaccines.”
A study published this week found that 28 deaths with cardiovascular involvement outlined in medical literature were likely caused by COVID-19 vaccination published by Dr. Peter McCullough, a cardiologist.
“The current position statements disseminated from medical institutions and government agencies indicate that COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis is mild and transient,” Nicolas Hulscher, a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and one of the co-authors, told The Epoch Times in an email. “However, our study indicates that this is most likely not the case.
Zachary Stieber and Reuters contributed to this report.