Joseph Goldstein , The New York Times; New Jersey Is the Latest State to Expand Access to Updated Covid Shots
"New Jersey is following the lead of New York and several other states that are rebuffing efforts by the federal government to curtail the number of people eligible to receive the latest vaccines against the coronavirus...
The moves come amid a broader campaign that the Trump administration’s secretary for health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is waging against vaccines — especially shots that use mRNA technology, which was pivotal in the development of the most popular coronavirus shots. H.H.S. has canceled nearly $500 million in federal grants and contracts to develop mRNA vaccines, and scrapped a nearly $600 million contract to develop a vaccine against the bird flu.
Mr. Kennedy’s hand-selected members of a government advisory panel also withdrew longstanding recommendations for flu shots that contain an ingredient that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism...
In addition to New York and New Jersey, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Pennsylvania are among other states that have issued similar orders...
Several states controlled by Democrats, including California, Oregon and Washington, are exploring a range of efforts to promote all vaccines, including the formation of a health alliance that would make recommendations independent from those of the federal government."
