WASHINGTON, DC—The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is deeply concerned by the scaling back of definitive recommendations for COVID vaccines and decisions to curtail the federal role in funding and developing new vaccines and countermeasures for emerging infectious diseases.

Emergency physicians — who stand on the frontlines of every major public health emergency — are alarmed that these changes could leave health care workers and their patients vulnerable. Ensuring early and sustained access to vaccines is essential to protect those most likely to face and contain outbreaks, such as those in emergency departments, which already operate under significant strain.

The abrupt narrowing of vaccine recommendations could jeopardize current patient safety and weaken our collective preparedness for future threats.

Federal policies should encourage patients to make educated decisions to receive safe and effective vaccines and ACEP supports the freedom of every patient, especially those who are pregnant, to make informed and evidence-based choices on vaccination in consultation with their physician. However, patients are denied that choice if access is prevented, supplies become limited, or development of new countermeasures is frozen altogether.

Further, absent a federal recommendation, insurance companies may not cover certain vaccinations, which will only exacerbate cost and access challenges for millions of people. 

Emergency physicians strongly urge HHS and other federal agencies to maintain and bolster our nation’s world-class evidence-based public health practices, including robust vaccine research, development, and distribution strategies that meet the needs of a changing threat landscape.

ACEP strongly supports ongoing funding for vaccines and clear guidance that holds insurance companies accountable for covering vaccinations at no cost to patients and health care workers.

“Frontline physicians must be protected in order to protect the public. Impeding access to vaccines—whether for COVID or emerging viruses—compromises our ability to respond and care for those in need,” said ACEP President Alison J. Haddock, MD, FACEP.

Emergency physicians stand ready to work with HHS and other federal agencies and health officials to ensure public health policies are grounded in science and uphold the safety of all Americans.