New West Coast Health Alliance issues vaccine recs ahead of winter season
The new West Coast Health Alliance issued vaccine recommendations on Sept. 17 ahead of the winter virus season.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson teamed up with his Democratic counterparts from California, Oregon and Hawaii in announcing the alliance’s coordinated guidance on COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccines.
Ferguson took a jab at U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. in a Sept. 17 post on X for having “aggressively weaponized the CDC.” He also condemned Kennedy’s recent removal of the entire vaccine advisory committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for having forced the agency’s director out.
“Our states are protecting families with clear guidelines in the vacuum left by the Trump Administration,” Ferguson wrote.
The health alliance, whose launch was announced earlier this month, promotes vaccines as effective and safe protections against viruses. Getting inoculated seasonally is a key way to reduce serious illness, strain on the health care system and community spread, the group notes.
The alliance also warned that truth is “under assault” amid a slew of CDC shakeups — and public health experts worry that such moves put politics over people’s health.
Medical doctors and experts from the four alliance states developed the recommendations. They reviewed guidelines from organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
The health alliance’s recommendations act as a baseline for member states. The COVID-19 vaccine recommendations from the Washington state Department of Health (DOH) build upon that foundation.
Earlier this month, DOH published a standing order advising residents ages 6 months and older to keep current on their coronavirus shots.
The West Coast Health Alliance’s recommendations for getting vaccinated against COVID-19, RSV and influenza were split into categories for children, pregnancy and adults.
Children vaccine recommendations
The health alliance recommends COVID-19 vaccinations for children who are:
- Ages 6 to 23 months
- Ages 2 to 18 years with risk factors or who haven’t ever been inoculated against COVID
- In close contact with people who have risk factors
- “All who choose protection.”
The alliance encourages all children 6 months and older to receive an influenza vaccine. In addition, RSV vaccines are recommended for everyone younger than 8 months, plus those who are 8 to 19 months old with risk factors.
Pregnancy vaccine recommendations
The alliance’s recommendations for pregnant women are the same for both the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines: “All who are planning pregnancy, pregnant, postpartum or lactating.”
It’s recommended that pregnant women at 32 to 36 weeks’ gestational age receive an RSV vaccine.
Adult vaccine recommendations
All adults are recommended to get a shot to protect against influenza.
When it comes to RSV immunizations, the same is true for everyone 75 years old and older — and those 50 to 74 years old with risk factors.
COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for adults who are:
- 65 years and older
- Younger than 65 with risk factors
- In close contact with people who have risk factors
- “All who choose protection”
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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