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FILE - Demonstrators rally for support of the CDC during a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices, June 25, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Kennedy’s vaccine committee plans to vote on COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox shots

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory committee meets this week, with votes slated on whether to change recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox. It’s not clear what questions the committee plans to vote on. Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions. But some public health experts say they are worried that the votes will raise unwarranted new questions about vaccines in the minds of parents. Perhaps even more consequential would be a vote that restricts a government program from paying for vaccines for low-income families. The committee meets Thursday and Friday in Atlanta.

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