Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, the physician who was responsible for overseeing COVID-19 vaccine guidance, has resigned her post. She has been a leading voice on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Her resignation follows a period of increasing strife on the committee. A lot of this turmoil comes from the sudden shift in guidance, particularly around inserting pregnant women into the vaccination recommendations. Then, early Tuesday morning, we received a surprise email from Dr. Panagiotakopoulos to all the members of the COVID-19 vaccines work group. In the email, she made it official.
Dr. Panagiotakopoulos was one of the leads in the ACIP work group. He’s poised, as chair, to lead the committee’s most important work of updating COVID-19 vaccine recommendations — his first high-profile test, set for later this month. Her resignation comes on the heels of an order from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So he unilaterally made changes that were completely contrary to what all the committee members were agreeing to. Most controversially, his guidance ruled out pregnant women from taking the vaccine, a choice that angered many medical experts.
In her resignation email, Dr. Panagiotakopoulos expressed her disillusionment with her current role, stating, “My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role.”
The backlash against the committee’s recommendations grew. By a vote of 10-0-1, members approved amendments to narrow the guidance and soften the recommendation to vaccinate children without underlying health conditions. This change has alarmed many about the implications that might have for public health, vaccine efficacy and other questions.
A federal health official responded to Dr. Panagiotakopoulos’s resignation, remarking, “More of us should be resigning in protest,” suggesting a growing discontent within the agency regarding the handling of vaccine guidance.
After this story was published, both Dr. Panagiotakopoulos and a CDC spokesperson declined multiple requests for additional comment. The ACIP committee’s independent, expert judgment to provide clear, evidence-based recommendations is under unprecedented fire. This is especially welcome given a recent trend of outside forces interfering.
