New York and other states across the Northeast issued new COVID-19 vaccine recommendations Monday, Sept. 15 that advises everyone six months and older to get the updated shot this fall, bucking federal guidance under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Food and Drug Administration.
The vaccine recommendations stemmed from the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, a voluntary group of regional public health agencies and leaders from several states and municipalities, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and New York City.
The regional health group’s guidance was consistent with the fall 2025 COVID vaccine recommendations from prominent national health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul noted in a statement Thursday, Sept. 18.
Why New York, Northeast states issued COVID vaccine recommendations
Hochul asserted the Northeastern states issued the guidance due to uncertainty surrounding the Food and Drug Administration’s guidance that aimed at restricting COVID-19 vaccines to those over 65 and younger people with existing health problems. The state recommendations came as a key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine panel was meeting this week to discuss federal guidance on COVID vaccines.
“Vaccines remain one of the strongest tools we have to safeguard our families and our communities,” Hochul said in a 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.”
What does New York’s COVID vaccine guidance say?
The regional health group’s COVID vaccine recommendations spanned five pages and included a breakdown of who “should” and who “may” get the updated vaccines. They noted:
The group also recommended that all adults ages 19 to 64 be vaccinated against COVID with the, with those in that age group at higher risk being told they should get the shot.
People who are pregnant, contemplating pregnancy or have recently been pregnant and those who are lactatingshould be vaccinated against COVID with the updated vaccine, the group noted. Vaccination may occur in any trimester, they added, and there is no need to stop or delay breastfeeding. There is also no need to delay pregnancy following a COVID-19 vaccine, the group said.
The guidance document also included a detailed list of the underlying health conditions that put someone at “higher risk” for severe COVID-19, including asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart conditions as well as other conditions cited on a similar list released previously by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For further details about New York’s vaccine recommendations, visit the state Health Department webpage, at health.ny.gov.
That regional public health effort came after similar steps taken by California, Oregon and Washington, which formed the West Coast Health Alliance to provide science-based health guidance to counter federal health policies under the Trump administration.
Will health insurance cover COVID vaccines in NY?
At the same time, health insurance companies recently vowed to cover the COVID-19, flu and other recommended vaccines, despite the shifting federal guidance a trade group said.
America’s Health Insurance Plans said its members will fully cover COVID, flu and other vaccines recommended by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine panel as of Sept. 1, 2025. The vaccines will be covered “with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026,” AHIP said.
The timing involved in that pledge was key to avoid any upcoming changes to the federal guidance. That’s because Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a key vaccine panel that makes recommendations for COVID-19 and other vaccines, and appointed new members.
The newly-appointed vaccine panel will meet Thursday, Sept. 18, and Friday, Sept. 19, to discuss recommendations for the measles, mumps and rubella; hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccines, according to a preliminary agenda.
Includes reporting by Ken Alltucker of USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY joins Northeast states with new COVID vaccine recommendations. See the guidance
Reporting by David Robinson, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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