Elizabeth Lanphier
@ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
2.4K followers 1.6K following 850 posts
Philosopher & Clinical Ethicist | she/her | peds ethics, repro ethics, TIC, narrative med, feminist philosophy | Cincinnati (it’s cool despite Ohio) | Thoughts my own unless I am re-posting yours | https://sites.google.com/view/elizabethlanphier
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ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Anticipating changes to the 25/26 Covid-19 vaccine regulations @sefyfe.bsky.social & I updated our previous analysis of off-label pediatric Covid-19 vaccination. It is out now in @jamapediatrics.com & accessible here.

Many things happened since we submitted this! I'll touch on a few of them 🧵
Reconsidering Off-Label Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination
This Viewpoint discusses current factors to consider when recommending off-label pediatric COVID-19 vaccination.
jamanetwork.com
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
anamariecox.bsky.social
Wish Johnson cared enough about pregnant people to worry about the hospitals that will turn them away for fear they’ll be prosecuted for performing basic medical procedures.

www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
kellcope.bsky.social
The Ohio Legislature is trying to bypass the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment by limiting access to safe mediations for abortion. Thank you to the many experts testifying against this politically motivated nonsense today. You can watch them live or later at www.ohiochannel.org/live/ohio-ho...
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
aetiology.bsky.social
Sharing again for Ohio folks as we will be printing these Husted "thank you" cards early next week for Columbus delivery. I know many folks here have thoughts about his votes re PH & healthcare. Please take 60 seconds to write so we can share them with his staffers, and please share w/ Ohio friends!
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
apha.org
APHA @apha.org · 22h
Join APHA & our partners on Nov. 5 @ 2:30-4 p.m. ET on the National Mall to Rally for the Public’s Health. Be inspired & energized by powerful stories, bold ideas & calls to action as we highlight urgent public health priorities. More info: www.APHA.org/Rally #SpeakForHealth
Blue background with and image of a silhouetted crowd of people holding megaphones and protest signs. Text in a red banner that reads: Rally for the Public's Health. Wednesday, Nov. 5. 2:30-4 p.m. National Mall. APHA.org/Rally. American Public Health Association logo.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Seems like we need *more* people willing to say “no” in the face of “but everyone else is doing it!” in positions of leadership, not less.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
There's a full moon over Ohio tonight. Let's manifest some letters to our Senator talking about health & healthcare.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Hello Ohio!

A few ways you can support public health & healthcare in Ohio right now with @defendpublichealth.bsky.social.

1. Help submit letters to Sen. Husted to tell him how he is hurting healthcare by filling out the form below.

2. Come to Columbus on October 15th to hand deliver letters
Ohio Defend Public Health: Unite with us in "thanking" Senator Jon Husted for his votes to harm ohioan's healthcare. 

Two ways to engage:
1. Submit your message to say "thank you" for hurting the health and healthcare of all Ohioans
2. Join Ohio Defend Public Health in Columbus on Oct. 15th at noon to hand deliver these letters. 

Send your card or sign up to join at the link in the next post.
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
lynntramonte.bsky.social
In Ohio we're launching 3 days of 📞 ✉︎ bc we DON'T WANT National Guard in our streets! We remember Kent State. We have Guard members in our families. We need anti-poverty measures, not militarization.

Take 2 simple actions for 3 days: www.ohioimmigrant.org/blog/2025/10... 🙏 ❤️💪 #OhioIsHome
Just Say No! To the National Guard in Ohio Communities — Ohio Immigrant Alliance
Rep. Max Miller has called for the deployment of the National Guard to Cleveland. Vice President J.D. Vance has criticized Cincinnati, and spread lies about Springfield. Ohioans are tired of politicia...
www.ohioimmigrant.org
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
melodyschreiber.com
Informed consent is already the standard for vaccination, @tom.medsky.social pointed out.

The biggest problem for his patients has been misinformation from all of this -- “to the point that almost nobody wants them,” he said.

This fall, he has given out 325 flu shots and only 16 Covid shots.
CDC backs updated Covid vaccines as access issues persist: ‘We still don’t have doses in hand’
Delays in recommending the shots and misinformation have created obstacles for vaccine access
www.theguardian.com
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
"We are missing a really crucial window to vaccinate kids. We have been giving flu vaccines for a couple of weeks...It’s a huge lost opportunity. I don’t know if we’ll get those families to come back" said a pediatrician quoted in this piece on Covid-19 vaccines.
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
themountaingoats.bsky.social
I understand that they gave somebody 150 million to be the new boss of CBS. I just want to say, if these people are ever looking to do more novel things with their money, for 150 million dollars I will write an album every day for a year. I'll do it, too. try me
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
The Public Philosophy Network published guides to various forms of public philosophy, including one on Clinical Ethics Consultation.

Check it out! www.publicphilosophynetwork.net/guides
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
While I was posting earlier CDC *did* sign off on ACIP recommendations. Effectively the CDC is endorsing off-label use of FDA-approved Covid-19 vaccines for those outside FDA eligibility criteria who choose vaccination following "individual-based decision-making."

(Plus they say some other stuff.)
melodyschreiber.com
The acting director of the CDC signed recommendations for Covid vaccines -- and this press release is really something www.hhs.gov/press-room/c...
www.hhs.gov
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Oh this is GOOD for kids and the VFC program. (We're unfortunately too used to kids being delayed in Covid-19 vaccine access now.)

But as a medical ethicist I have *some thoughts* on the use of concepts like informed consent and risk/benefit in this document.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
If the acting CDC director or HHS secretary signs off on ACIP recs, they're supporting off-label Covid-19 vaccination for those making individual decisions to be vaccinated or have their kids vaccinated who don't meet FDA eligibility.

But they're not signing off, creating access barriers for kids.
The CDC still hasn't issued COVID vaccine guidelines, leaving access in limbo
Access to the COVID-19 vaccines remains difficult because of an unusual and unexplained delay by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in accepting recommendations from its advisers.
www.npr.org
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Because the FDA has approved Covid-19 vaccines for some populations they can be used off-label by other populations, though vaccine administration is also regulated by state laws. Some states have modified local regulations to widen access including who can administer vaccines, including off-label.
Tracking State Actions on Vaccine Policy and Access | KFF
With recent federal actions to curtail vaccine access, many states have announced actions intended to maintain broader access. This issue brief provides a snapshot of this rapidly changing landscape, ...
www.kff.org
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Vaccinating those who don’t meet FDA eligibility would be "off-label" use. Off-label use is common in medicine, especially in pediatrics.

Insurance doesn't always cover off-label use, though most US insurers & ACIP support broad public & private insurance coverage of Covid-19 vaccines this year.
AHIP Statement on Vaccine Coverage
AHIP is the national association whose members provide health care coverage, services, and solutions to hundreds of millions of Americans every day. We…
www.ahip.org
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
The CDC’s own Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) also endorsed a widely permissible approach to Covid-19 vaccination that includes people getting vaccinated beyond those eligible according to the FDA approval.
melodyschreiber.com
Here's the full text of the HHS announcement on today's ACIP votes
ACIP Recommends COVID-19 Immunization Based on Individual Decision-making 

 

ATLANTA—SEPTEMBER 19, 2025—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) today unanimously recommended that vaccination for COVID-19 be determined by individual decision-making.

 

ACIP’s recommendation applies to all individuals six months and older. It includes an emphasis that the risk-benefit of vaccination in individuals under age 65 is most favorable for those who are at an increased risk for severe COVID-19 and lowest for individuals who are not at an increased risk, according to the CDC list of COVID-19 risk factors.

 

Individual decision-making is referred to on the CDC’s adult and child immunization schedules as vaccination based on shared clinical decision-making, which references providers including physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. It allows for immunization coverage through all payment mechanisms including entitlement programs such as the Vaccines for Children Program, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, and Medicare, as well as insurance plans through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

 

“I commend the committee for bringing overdue scientific debate on vaccination to the American people,” said Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill. A recommendation from ACIP becomes part of the CDC immunization schedule if it is adopted by the CDC director.  

In addition to its recommendation for the CDC immunization schedules, ACIP voted to recommend that all pregnant women be tested for Hepatitis B. This test is covered across all insurance programs. The vote encourages providers and health systems to increase the rates of testing in pregnancy to assure that women with Hepatitis B and their newborns can be properly cared for to reduce transmission of the virus from the mother to the child.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
The @ameracadpeds.bsky.social published their own vaccine schedule in the fall, recommending Covid-19 vaccination more broadly than the FDA approval.

According to the AAP, all kids 6 months to 2 years old and any family desiring vaccination *should* get a vaccine, in addition to "high risk" kids.
ameracadpeds.bsky.social
AAP’s latest immunization schedule is rooted in pediatric science and clinical care, and includes recommendations that will help children build the strongest immune defense against respiratory illnesses, like the flu, COVID-19 and RSV. Learn more by visiting our website.
www.aap.org
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Earlier this year the FDA limited eligibility for 25/26 Covid-19 vaccines to people 65 years old and up or those under 65 with a “high-risk” condition.

Previous publications from the FDA & CDC list numerous conditions that may qualify, though what constitutes high risk has been confusing.
maggieastor.bsky.social
New: The CDC acknowledges that pregnancy, in and of itself, is a high-risk condition for severe Covid. Yet it removed its vaccine recommendation for pregnant people without other conditions. Its contradictory messaging, plus the Trump admin's broader actions/inaction on vaccines, has reduced access.
Covid Shots Protect Pregnant Women, but Getting Them Now Can Be Hard
www.nytimes.com
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Until recently, everyone in the US over 6 months old was eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine. Were they perfectly accessible? Nope. Did it take a lot longer for younger kid eligibility? Definitely. Does everyone want one? Not at all.

But the FDA regulated them & CDC recommended for anyone to choose.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Anticipating changes to the 25/26 Covid-19 vaccine regulations @sefyfe.bsky.social & I updated our previous analysis of off-label pediatric Covid-19 vaccination. It is out now in @jamapediatrics.com & accessible here.

Many things happened since we submitted this! I'll touch on a few of them 🧵
Reconsidering Off-Label Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination
This Viewpoint discusses current factors to consider when recommending off-label pediatric COVID-19 vaccination.
jamanetwork.com
Reposted by Elizabeth Lanphier
momsterville.bsky.social
Just do it Ohio. He's up for election in 2026.
ethicselizabeth.bsky.social
Hello Ohio!

A few ways you can support public health & healthcare in Ohio right now with @defendpublichealth.bsky.social.

1. Help submit letters to Sen. Husted to tell him how he is hurting healthcare by filling out the form below.

2. Come to Columbus on October 15th to hand deliver letters
Ohio Defend Public Health: Unite with us in "thanking" Senator Jon Husted for his votes to harm ohioan's healthcare. 

Two ways to engage:
1. Submit your message to say "thank you" for hurting the health and healthcare of all Ohioans
2. Join Ohio Defend Public Health in Columbus on Oct. 15th at noon to hand deliver these letters. 

Send your card or sign up to join at the link in the next post.