Public health agencies and leaders from Connecticut and several Northeastern states have formed a coalition to make their own guidelines on vaccines and other public health issues.
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are in the voluntary coalition.
The group's goal is to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of all residents by providing information based on science, data and evidence, according to state Department of Public Health.
"When you come together as a collaborative and you give people that confidence that a lot of different people came together to be able to come up with the same advice, it at least can give people some extra credibility, some extra comfort that multiple people have come together on guidance," Dr. Manisha Juthani, Public Health Commissioner, said.
The formal announcement of the coalition comes after a major shakeup at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory committee. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The group held its first in-person meeting in Rhode Island in August, but Dr. Juthani said leadership teams meet on a weekly basis and committees meet regularly. A committee is meeting on Monday to discuss COVID-19 vaccines.
Last month, the FDA changed guidelines for who can get the next round of COVID-19 vaccines. Adults 65 or older, or those with health problems are eligible.
Before the change in guidance, anyone six months or older could get the shot.
State Senator Saud Anwar, who chairs the Public Health Committee in the general assembly, praised the formation of the collaborative.
"This is an important moment in our history where the federal government is making poor choices and it is important for every state to protect themselves,' Anwar said. "This is such a good idea for the like-minded states focused on the wellbeing of the citizens."
The states in the Northeast Public Health Collaborative are all Democrat-led, similar to the West Coast Health Alliance which is made up of California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.
That group released vaccine guidelines for flu, RSV and COVID-19.
The U.S. Health and Human Services defended ACIP in a statement to NBC News that said "ACIP remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science."