Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos has stepped down from her role on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Her resignation follows the decision by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove the COVID-19 vaccine from the recommended childhood immunization schedule. This development was reported by Reuters on Tuesday.
According to the Daily Caller, Panagiotakopoulos, who played a pivotal role in advising on COVID-19 vaccines, communicated her resignation through an email to her colleagues. In her message, she expressed, My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role.
This sentiment underscores her commitment to public health, which she feels is compromised under the current circumstances.
The ACIP had initially voted to incorporate the COVID-19 vaccine into the childhood immunization schedule in 2022. However, in a significant policy shift, Kennedy's HHS advised the CDC in May to remove the vaccine from the schedule, ceasing its recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women.
Despite this, Panagiotakopoulos and the ACIP had been moving forward with plans to vote on the vaccine's recommendation for the 2024-2025 period. This decision was made despite acknowledging the chaos caused by the previous year's recommendation timing.
She noted, The vote and recommendation was also made only weeks before a larger increase in cases, which limited the vaccination and outreach that could be done prior to the surge.
The logistical challenges were further highlighted by Panagiotakopoulos, who stated, Vaccine orders had to be placed prior to knowing the groups for whom the vaccine would be recommended, stakeholder presentations, provider toolkits, and webpages, all had to be updated after the recommendation was made, which limited the available window for communication of the recommendation prior to the respiratory virus season.
Her resignation marks a critical juncture in the ongoing debate over vaccine recommendations and public health policy.
Login