Democratic states defy Trump and issue their own vaccine rules... after Florida BANS mandated shots

Five Democrat-run states have issued their own vaccine guidelines after Florida banned all mandates.

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington state announced this week they have formed the West Coast Health Alliance in an effort to 'ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics.'

The alliance plans to review scientific data and make vaccine recommendations for residents in these states that are independent from federal guidelines.

These guidelines will sidestep those enacted by the Trump administration and vaccine skeptic Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, including recent restrictions on the Covid shot.

It's the first blue-state public health partnership to directly push back against the administration's policies.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, said Wednesday his state will also sidestep 'ridiculous' federal restrictions on Covid vaccines. Pharmacists in the state will be able to provide the shots without a prescription for at least one year starting Friday.

And health officials in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania reportedly met this week to consider coordinating similar alliances.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is also reportedly set to sign an executive order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer Covid vaccines to New Yorkers who request them.

Just hours after the alliance was unveiled, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the state would ban all vaccine mandates, comparing them to 'slavery.'

The differing views also come as all 17 experts on the CDC's vaccine advisory panel have been dismissed.

Meanwhile, 1,000 current and former HHS employees this week released a letter demanding RFK Jr resign as he 'continues to endanger the nation's health.'

The Democratic governors called the partnership a unified response to what they deemed is the Trump administration's 'destruction' of the agency.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement: 'The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences.

'California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk.'

Sejal Hathi, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said: 'Our communities deserve clear and transparent communication about vaccines.'

It's unclear exactly what measures the alliance will enact and how specific shots like the Covid vaccine and childhood vaccines will be affected.

In Colorado, however, insurance plans regulated by the state will continue to fully cover Covid vaccines, along with pharmacies providing them without a prescription.

Polis said Wednesday: 'I will not allow ridiculous and costly red tape or decisions made far away in Washington to keep Coloradans from accessing vaccines.'

Additionally, POLITICO's Playbook newsletter reported Thursday that pharmacists in New York state will be allowed to administer and prescribe Covid vaccines to those who request them, according to an executive order Hochul is set to sign. It's unclear exactly when she will sign the order.

The FDA ruled last month that updated versions of the Covid vaccine will only be available to people over 65 and those with a medical condition that puts them at a greater risk of severe disease. It's unclear exactly which conditions qualify, but in the past they have included asthma, cancer, obesity and being immunocompromised.

Previously, the shots were available to all Americans six months and older.

However, RFK Jr said in a social media post that the 'vaccines are available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.' This means doctor offices may provide them.

Washington State Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham said Wednesday: 'Our commitment is to the health and safety of our communities, protecting lives through prevention, and not yielding to unsubstantiated theories that dismiss decades of proven public health practice.'

California, Oregon and Washington have previously teamed up on vaccine and pandemic-related issues. In 2020, they formed the 'Western States Pact' to review federal vaccine recommendations and coordinate pandemic restrictions. Colorado and Nevada later joined the effort.

The trio of states were also the final ones to lift mask mandates.

Newsom said: 'Together, our states depend on the best science and knowledge available to protect public health, including scientific information about immunizations.

'We have grave concerns about the integrity and transparency of upcoming federal vaccine recommendations and will continue to collaborate to ensure that science and sound medicine prevail to prevent any loss of life.'