Seven northeastern U.S. states, including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island, have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative to provide independent vaccination guidance and counter new federal restrictions on vaccine access. Critics of the federal limits have accused Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy of promoting vaccine hesitancy.
The alliance has recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months, adolescents, adults at higher risk, and all adults—contrary to the more restrictive federal guidelines.
Governors have also granted pharmacists the authority to administer vaccines more broadly, even in areas where the federal government has limited access.
