Rescheduled CDC Panel Meeting Signals Policy Shift on Vaccine Safety
Atlanta, Friday, 27 February 2026.
Now meeting March 18, the reshaped panel pivots to examining COVID-19 vaccine injuries, prompting the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to withdraw support over abandoned scientific rigor.
Rescheduled Meeting and Strategic Pivot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially rescheduled the highly anticipated meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for March 18 and 19, 2026 [2]. Originally slated to convene this week from February 25 to 27, the session was abruptly postponed following a failure to publish an agenda in compliance with federal regulations [2][3]. The upcoming gathering marks a significant strategic pivot for the committee, which plans to focus specifically on COVID-19 vaccine injuries and potentially vote on new recommendations regarding the vaccine’s safety profile [1]. This agenda represents a deviation from the panel’s traditional mandate, which typically concentrates on establishing immunization schedules rather than adjudicating injury claims [1].
Administrative Overhaul and ACOG Withdrawal
This shift in focus occurs under the direct influence of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who executed a comprehensive overhaul of the committee’s composition last summer [2]. Secretary Kennedy dismissed the panel’s previous members, replacing them with a new cohort that includes several vocal vaccine skeptics [1]. The reconstitution of the board has precipitated a fracture with established medical organizations; on February 18, 2026, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) withdrew as a liaison group [1]. ACOG President Dr. Steven J. Fleischman cited the unilateral changes to vaccine recommendations and the removal of experts as a “fundamental departure from the scientific rigor and impartiality” that had defined the committee for 60 years [2].
Scientific Disputes and Procedural Concerns
The committee’s new direction aligns with the skeptical stance of the current HHS leadership regarding mRNA technology. Secretary Kennedy has previously characterized the COVID-19 vaccine as “the deadliest vaccine ever made,” and Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s vaccine chief, recently claimed an internal review identified at least 10 child deaths attributable to the shot [1]. However, independent experts such as Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota argue that claims of vaccine harm currently being advanced by committee members are often unsupported by verifiable data [1]. Furthermore, ACIP members have expressed specific concerns regarding the single-dose mRNA vaccine, with some arguing it should be removed from the market entirely [5].
Legal Challenges and State-Level Impact
The administrative turbulence has triggered significant legal pushback. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the ACIP from meeting and to reverse the CDC’s January 5 revision of the childhood immunization schedule [3][4]. This legal action, the second faced by Secretary Kennedy regarding the ACIP, is driven by concerns that the reconstituted panel may vote to remove funding for certain vaccines intended for children from low-income families [2]. The lawsuit highlights the growing tension between the medical establishment and the current political leadership at HHS [3].