California moves to distance itself from CDC on vaccines, considers creating its own agency

UPDATES AS THEY COME IN. OTHER NEWS, RIGHT NOW, HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE FOCUSING ON VACCINE DEADLINES. THIS WEEK, A CDC COMMITTEE WILL CONSIDER POSSIBLE CHANGES TO RECOMMENDATIONS TOMORROW. AND NOW THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS CONSIDERING DISTANCING ITSELF FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S GUIDELINES. THE POTENTIAL CHANGE IN GUIDANCE COMES AS THE RECENTLY FIRED CDC DIRECTOR WARNS THOSE CHANGES MAY NOT BE BASED ON SCIENCE. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU OF WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. ASHLEY ZAVALA HAS THE CHANGE IN STATE VACCINATION GUIDELINES, BUT WE START WITH JACKIE DEFUSCO LIVE ON CAPITOL HILL FOR US WITH A MESSAGE FROM THE FORMER CDC DIRECTOR. YEAH. HEY THERE, ANDREA CURTIS ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY, THE FORMER CDC DIRECTOR, SUSAN MONAREZ, CLAIMED THAT SHE WAS FIRED IN PART FOR ESSENTIALLY REFUSING TO PRE-APPROVE VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHOUT SEEING THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FIRST. SHE TOLD SENATORS THAT SHE IS NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT’S TO COME. TAKE A LISTEN. BASED ON WHAT I OBSERVED DURING MY TENURE, THERE IS A REAL RISK THAT RECOMMENDATIONS COULD BE MADE RESTRICTING ACCESS TO VACCINES FOR CHILDREN AND OTHERS IN NEED WITHOUT RIGOROUS SCIENTIFIC REVIEW, WITH NO PERMANENT CDC DIRECTOR IN PLACE, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS COULD BE ADOPTED. HEALTH SECRETARY ROBERT F KENNEDY JR HAS DENIED THAT HE ORDERED MONAREZ TO RUBBER STAMP VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS. BUT THE DISPUTE COMES AS THE CDC’S INFLUENTIAL ADVISORY PANEL, WHOSE MEMBERS WERE RECENTLY REPLACED BY KENNEDY, IS SET TO CONVENE TOMORROW TO CONSIDER POSSIBLE CHANGES TO GUIDANCE ON COVID 19, CHICKENPOX AND HEPATITIS B SHOTS. TELLING LAWMAKERS THAT SHE HAS NOT SEEN ANY DATA AT THIS POINT TO SUPPORT CHANGING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. FORMER CDC CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER DEBORAH OURY, WHO RECENTLY RESIGNED, ALSO TESTIFIED TODAY. AND SHE SAID THAT ONE OF KENNEDY’S POLITICAL ADVISERS TOLD HER NOT TO INCLUDE INFORMATION THAT COULD SUPPORT MAINTAINING HEPATITIS B SHOTS FOR NEWBORNS TO PREVENT THE DEADLY DISEASE FROM SPREADING FROM THE MOTHER. YOU’RE SUGGESTING THAT THEY WANTED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE BIRTH DOSE, BUT THEY WERE AFRAID THAT YOUR DATA WOULD SAY THAT THEY SHOULD RETAIN IT. IT. WHAT DO WE DO NOW? IT’S STILL UNCLEAR AT THIS POINT HOW EXACTLY THE ADVISORY PANEL WILL VOTE LATER THIS WEEK, BUT SOME MEMBERS IN THE PAST HAVE QUESTIONED THE NECESSITY OF THE HEPATITIS B SHOT FOR NEWBORNS, AND HAVE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT THERE SHOULD BE A MORE CONSERVATIVE SET OF VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COVID 19 SHOT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THAT PANEL RECOMMENDS. ULTIMATELY, THE ACTING CDC DIRECTOR, JIM O’NEILL, WILL NEED TO SIGN OFF BEFORE THEY BECOME OFFICIAL LIVE ON CAPITOL HILL. I’M JACKIE DEFUSCO, KCRA THREE NEWS. JACKIE, THANK YOU. AND CLOSER TO HOME, CALIFORNIA LEADERS TODAY CONTINUE TO DISTANCE THE STATE FROM THE CDC WITH A SERIES OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. KCRA THREE POLITICAL DIRECTOR ASHLEY ZAVALA EXPLAINS THE ACTION GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM TOOK TODAY. WELL, THIS COMES AS THE STATE CONTINUES TO CLASH WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER VACCINES AND SCIENCE. OVERALL. TODAY, NEWSOM, ALONGSIDE THE GOVERNORS OF OREGON, WASHINGTON AND HAWAII, ROLLED OUT THEIR OWN VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WINTER. THE GROUP IS ALSO NOW KNOWN AS THE WEST COAST HEALTH ALLIANCE. AS OF A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THE RECOMMENDED SHOTS INCLUDE THE COVID 19 SHOT, FLU AND RSV SHOTS. THE GOVERNOR TODAY ALSO SIGNED A NEW STATE LAW THAT ALLOWS CALIFORNIA TO TAKE VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM MEDICAL GROUPS OUTSIDE OF THE CDC. THIS COMES AFTER ROBERT F KENNEDY JR FIRED ALL 17 MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES AND REPLACE THEM WITH VACCINE SKEPTICS. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LOOSENED RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND THE COVID 19 VACCINE. ALSO IN A STATEMENT, THE WEST COAST GOVERNOR SAID, OUR STATES ARE UNITED IN PUTTING SCIENCE, SAFETY AND TRANSPARENCY FIRST AND IN PROTECTING FAMILIES WITH CLEAR, CREDIBLE VACCINE GUIDANCE. THE WEST COAST HEALTH ALLIANCE STANDS UNITED IN PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND ALWAYS PUTTING SAFETY BEFORE POLITICS. MEANWHILE, A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SAID DEMOCRAT RUN STATES THAT PUSHED UNSCIENTIFIC SCHOOL LOCKDOWNS, TODDLER MASK MANDATES AND DRACONIAN VACCINE PASSPORTS DURING THE COVID ERA COMPLETELY ERODED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’S TRUST IN PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES. ACIP REMAINS THE SCIENTIFIC BODY GUIDING IMMUNIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY. AND HHS WILL ENSURE POLICY IS BASED ON RIGOROUS EVIDENCE AND GOLD STANDARD SCIENCE, NOT THE FAILED POLITICS OF THE PANDEMIC. END QUOTE. NOW, SEPARATELY FROM THE GOVERNOR’S ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY, SOME DEMOCRATIC STATE LAWMAKERS AND LABOR GROUPS LAUNCHED AN EFFORT THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY CREATE CALIFORNIA’S OWN CDC AND FOUNDATION FOUNDATION TO FUND MEDICAL RESEARCH. THIS WOULD FIRST NEED TO PASS AT THE STATE CAPITOL, THOUGH, BEFORE GOING TO VOTERS IN A BALLOT MEASURE IN NOVEMBER OF 2026. SO HOW MUCH MONEY ARE THEY EXPECTING TO SPEND ON THIS PROPOSAL? YEAH, ESSENTIALLY THEY’RE GOING TO ASK CALIFORNIA VOTERS TO APPROVE A MEASURE THAT WOULD INVOLVE BORROWING $23 BILLION IN BONDS. WE WILL HAVE A LOT MORE ON THIS AT FIVE. A LOT OF QUESTIONS AROUND THA

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