NJ forms multi-state health collective competing with CDC amid vax controversies

New Jersey and six other states have created the Northeast Public Health Collaborative as four states on the West Coast also banded together in the face of "chaos" and confusion over vaccine recommendations this fall.

The collective was announced between sessions of the federal panel for vaccine recommendations, which was dismantled and then rebuilt by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Federal panel halts COVID vaccine recommendation

In an unprecedented move, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Friday agreed to not recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for any Americans, saying they would instead emphasize personal choice, CBS News reported.

Recommendations of the panel are pending approval from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to New Jersey, the East Coast coalition includes Pennsylvania, New York State, New York City, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

The voluntary regional coalition of public health agencies and leaders has said it aims to work together on public health emergency preparedness, vaccine recommendations, data collection, infectious disease management and lab services.

The regional partnership was informally established months ago and had its first in-person meeting last month.

NJ, NY leaders defend science and vaccine access

"From ensuring access to vaccines and medications to protecting public health, we are committed to working together to protect the health, safety and well-being of ALL communities," Gov. Phil Murphy said in a post to X on Thursday.

From across the Hudson River, New York's governor slammed "misguided attacks on science" out of Washington.

“Vaccines remain one of the strongest tools we have to safeguard our families and our communities,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a written statement.

“As Washington continues to launch its misguided attacks on science, New York is making it clear that every resident will have access to the COVID vaccine, no exceptions,” Hochul said.

Similarly, a West Coast Health Alliance was created by California, the state of Washington, Oregon and Hawaii.

West Coast states form similar alliance, 'putting safety before politics'

“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," Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon, Gov. Bob Ferguson of Washington, and Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii said in a joint statement.

Newsom said their alliance's science-based vaccine recommendations are issued in the "Vacuum left by the Trump administration's chaos and politicization of science."

California took an additional step — with a new state law that will base future immunization guidance "on credible, independent medical organizations rather than the CDC’s increasingly politicized Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices."

Decades of scientific research tout 'population immunity'

Wider rates of immunization have scientifically and historically shown to help eradicate specific infectious diseases, not just in this country but around the world.

"'Herd immunity', also known as 'population immunity', is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection," according to the World Health Organization in an update during the COVID pandemic.

“Epidemiologists think of infections as chain reactions, whose speed depends on contagiousness,” Marc Lipsitch of the Harvard School of Public Health said in a 2011 article for the National Institutes of Health

“Vaccinating people protects not only them, but others in the community. If I’m protected, I can protect others,” Lipsitch also said, adding "The more contagious the disease, the more vaccination is required. The data tells us that herd immunity works.”

Coalition aims to protect health during public events and pandemics

"Public health requires regular sharing of information, ideas, and best practices across jurisdictions and state lines," New Jersey Acting Health Commissioner Jeff Brown said in a joint press release issued Thursday.

He called the collaborative a "natural synergy and extension" of longstanding partnerships.

"Whether it’s responding to a pandemic or an outbreak or preparing for a large-scale event such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with three host cities in the Northeast, working together helps keep our residents safe and healthy," Brown added.

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