Immunizations and West Coast Health Alliance
Vaccine recommendations and other vaccine news.
In 2025, Washington state, Oregon, California, and Hawaii formed the West Coast Health Alliance to ensure public health recommendations in the four-state region are guided by science, effectiveness, and safety. To develop its recommendations, health officers, who are all physicians, and subject matter experts from each of the alliance states review guidelines from credible national chapters from organized medicine.
The WSMA will help support and disseminate updated assessments from the alliance and other vaccine news on this page and through our member and public communications.
2026-2027 Respiratory Virus Season Immunization Recommendations
The West Coast Health Alliance issued immunization recommendations for the 2026-2027 respiratory virus season. The recommendations are informed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, and provide baseline guidance for California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
1. COVID-19 vaccine is available for persons 6 months and older.
2. Two doses given at least 4 weeks apart are recommended for ages 6 months–8 years who are getting flu vaccine for the first time.
3. Protect infants with either prenatal RSV vaccine or infant dose of nirsevimab or clesrovimab.
4. RSV vaccination during pregnancy or for adults is currently recommended once rather than annually.
Measles Continues to Spread in Washington; Prepare Now
The Washington Department of Health’s Measles Cases in Washington State webpage has the latest information about measles cases and outbreaks in Washington. See also a map of active Measles Public Exposure Locations in Washington State.
The WSMA, with the Washington State Department of Health, offers WSMA members the latest in immunology and epidemiology with the current measles outbreak. These activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM and are available on demand as video and podcasts.
- Measles Spread and Immunization with Washington State Health Officer Tao Kwan-Gett, MD.
- Measles Transmission and Prevention with Public Health–Seattle and King County’s Eric Chow, MD.
For patients
Measles is highly contagious. Learn more about symptoms and what to do if you suspect you’ve been exposed in the following video.
Washington’s Childhood Vaccine Recommendations Remain Unchanged
The WSMA joins with the house of medicine to strongly oppose President Donald Trump’s executive order issued Aug. 10, 2026 calling for fewer childhood vaccines. Read our statement.
The WSMA continues to support the recommendations of the Washington State Department of Health and West Coast Health Alliance, which support American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and the 2026 Maternal Immunization Schedule issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
West Coast Health Alliance Continues to Endorse the American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule
On Jan. 5, 2026, the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a decision memorandum to revise the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and significantly reduce the number of vaccinations routinely recommended for all U.S. children. This decision did not follow established procedure for vaccine policy recommendations and threatens an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in children nationwide. The West Coast Health Alliance continues to recommend the American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, which is based on established vaccine safety and effectiveness evidence. Learn more on the Washington State Department of Health website.
- Read a press statement in support of the alliance from the Washington State Medical Association, the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of Washington, the Washington Academy of Family Physicians, and the Washington Chapter of the American College of Physicians.
West Coast Health Alliance Continues to Recommend Hepatitis B Vaccination for Newborns
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices vote to end the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination lacks credible evidence. The West Coast Health Alliance strongly supports that hepatitis B vaccination continue to be routinely offered to all newborns, with the first dose of the vaccine given within 24 hours of birth for newborns weighing at least 2,000 grams (4 pounds, 7 ounces), followed by completion of the vaccine series. This recommendation aligns with trusted national medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
About the West Coast Health Alliance
The West Coast Health Alliance formed to ensure that public health recommendations are guided by science, effectiveness, and safety at a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leadership changes, reduced transparency, and the compromise of key advisory panels have called into question the federal government’s capacity to address the nation’s public health challenges.
The West Coast Health Alliance established a charter that lays out the shared principles and scope that guides its work. Learn more on the Washington State Department of Health website.