The states will develop vaccine recommendations that are based on science, officials say.
Three states on Sept. 3 said they're forming a new alliance to counter updated federal vaccine recommendations.
California, Washington state, and Oregon said their new alliance will develop evidence- and science-based recommendations for immunizations amid concerns over updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A spokesperson for the CDC's parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said that "Democrat-run states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns, toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the COVID era completely eroded the American people's trust in public health agencies."
The spokesperson added that the CDC's vaccine advisory committee "remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic."
The state officials said they will align their immunization recommendations based in part on advice from national medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"This will allow residents to receive consistent, science-based recommendations they can rely on -- regardless of shifting federal actions," they said.
The states, along with Nevada, previously formed a workgroup during the pandemic that studied COVID-19 vaccines.