Recent federal changes and commotion at the CDC have left providers and the public confused about vaccine availability and recommendations: Who will be eligible, and will the recommendations be grounded in science? With the fall respiratory virus season already underway, that confusion turned to concern for many, especially in populations that are most at-risk of complications when not protected. Just last month, California saw a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
But clear guidance has arrived for California’s providers and patients, as the state took two big steps this month to ensure Californians continue to have access to life-saving vaccines according to evidence-based standards.
Californians can now rely on the California Department of Public Health, a partner of the newly formed West Coast Health Alliance, for recommendations on who is eligible for COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccinations in the 2025-26 season. The CDPH issued vaccination recommendations for children, pregnant people and adults on Sept. 17 to clarify for providers and the public.
California recommends the COVID-19 vaccination broadly, including for children ages 6-23 months, pregnant women and all adults who choose protection, for example, whereas the CDC’s vaccine panel chose to limit access to the vaccine considerably.
The WCHA partnership “will allow residents to receive consistent, science-based recommendations they can rely on — regardless of shifting federal actions,” Gov. Gavin Newsom stated in a news release.
Other states are following suit. Just last week, seven states formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative to issue their own vaccine recommendations.
California will join states to issue science-based vaccination guidance
Bolstering those recommendations, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill 144, which officially changes the guidance California relies on for vaccine recommendations, which in turn governs what vaccines health insurance in the state must cover.
CDA joined a coalition of more than a dozen health care groups supporting the bill, including the American Academy of Pediatrics of California, California Association of Public Hospitals & Health Systems and California Medical Association, and Newsom quickly signed it into law.
With the bill’s success, California can legally set its own vaccine schedules rather than relying on the CDC for that guidance as historically done. California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington — partners of the West Coast Health Alliance — will instead issue vaccination recommendations informed by trusted national medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
“Our organizations have been some of the state’s leading voices in public health, particularly in advancing access to vaccines. Vaccines are safe, effective, and among the most powerful tools we have to prevent disease and protect communities,” the coalition wrote in support of the bill. “We support this effort to make sure that insurance continues to cover vaccines according to evidence-based recommendations.”
Law protects dentists as authorized vaccinators
As trusted health professionals, dentists can now use CDPH’s vaccination recommendations to inform their vaccine discussions with patients. And the success of AB 144 has additional significance for California dentists, who are also authorized vaccinators against flu and COVID. With insurance companies in California required to cover the vaccines, dentists who vaccinate in accordance with requirements are shielded from risk.
California dentists can use CDA’s vaccine promotion resources to:
- Educate patients and the public about the safety and efficacy of vaccines
- Understand how vaccine hesitancy forms and how to address it
- Promote vaccine safety through the practice’s social media posts
- Review vaccine-administration regulations
- Offer in-office vaccination for flu and COVID
Dentists are also encouraged to review their local public health orders related to respiratory virus season and masking.
Read more details on the new state law, the West Coast Health Alliance development and 2025-26 vaccination recommendations on CDPH’s Public Health for All page.