(NewsNation) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it has updated its child and adult vaccine schedules to apply to a shared decision between a healthcare provider and patient.
The move means that COVID-19 vaccines can only be administered after a person consults a doctor or pharmacist, and the agency also signed off on its advisers’ recommendations against use of the combined measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine before the age of 4 years.
Instead, the CDC recommends that toddlers be given a separate shot for measles-mumps-rubella and varicella, which is commonly known as chickenpox.
“Informed consent is back,” acting Director of the CDC and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said in a news release. “CDC’s 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual COVID-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today.”
The CDC said the new guidelines will still allow access to the vaccines through health insurance. The agency added that the new schedule will be updated on its website on Tuesday.