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

The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington state declared this week the formation of the West Coast Health Alliance. This initiative aims to ‘protect residents through scientific guidance rather than political agendas.’

The alliance’s objective is to examine scientific data and create vaccine recommendations for their states that operate independently of federal directives.

This approach will bypass the directives from the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a known vaccine skeptic, particularly regarding recent Covid vaccine limitations.

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

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, announced on Wednesday that his state will also disregard ‘ridiculous’ federal Covid vaccine restrictions. From Friday, pharmacists in Colorado will be allowed to administer the vaccines without needing a prescription, for at least a year.

Meanwhile, health officials from Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania reportedly convened this week to discuss forming similar alliances.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is reportedly preparing to sign an executive order that would enable pharmacists to prescribe and give Covid vaccines to willing New York residents.

California, Oregon and Washington have formed a partnership to issue their own vaccine guidance and information (stock image)

California Governor Gavin Newsom (pictured here) said of the state’s partnership with Oregon and Washington: ‘Together, our states depend on the best science and knowledge available to protect public health, including scientific information about immunizations’

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.

California, Oregon and Washington’s defiance of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s (pictured here) policies come as 1,000 current and former HHS employees have called for him to resign

Meanwhile in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured here) this week introduced measures to ban all vaccine mandates in the state

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.’