HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania health officials moved to calm growing anxiety over childhood vaccinations on Thursday, reaffirming that there have been no changes to vaccine access, insurance coverage, or school requirements anywhere in the Commonwealth.
The Shapiro Administration said it continues to follow the childhood immunization schedule developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, calling it the gold standard for protecting children against diseases that once killed or permanently injured thousands of Americans each year.
“As Secretary of Health and a pediatrician with decades of patient care experience, I want to assure all Pennsylvanians that vaccines preventing childhood diseases remain available and covered by insurance,” Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said. “There are no changes in vaccine recommendations and availability in Pennsylvania, including those for children to attend school.”
The statement comes amid a surge of online rumors and social media claims suggesting that access to childhood vaccines was being restricted or altered — claims state officials say are false.
In October, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2025-02 to lock in access to evidence-based vaccinations statewide. The order requires state agencies to align guidance with trusted medical authorities, directs insurers and Medicaid to cover recommended vaccines to the fullest extent of state law, and creates a Vaccine Education Workgroup to counter misinformation.
It also instructed the Departments of Aging and Education to ensure older adults and schools receive clear, science-based guidance, and launched a new centralized public portal at www.pa.gov/vaccines to make it easier for families to find accurate vaccine information.
State health leaders say the goal is to keep medical decisions rooted in science while preserving parental choice through informed consent and shared decision-making with physicians.
The Department of Health is now working with doctors across Pennsylvania to produce short videos for Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube that explain how vaccines protect children from diseases that once filled hospital wards and cemeteries.
Officials say those voices from the front lines of patient care are crucial as misinformation continues to spread faster than viruses themselves.
With childhood immunization rates under pressure nationwide, Pennsylvania leaders say the message is simple and urgent: vaccines remain available, covered, and recommended — and the Commonwealth is standing firmly behind the science that has saved millions of lives.
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