Interim health officer Dr. Herbie Duber provided the Kitsap Public Health District board with an overview of the district’s approach to COVID-19 vaccination efforts for the 2025-2026 season as part of its Sept. 2 meeting.

Duber said the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines Aug. 27 for individuals age 65 or older and those with underlying medical conditions, which places them at higher risk.

“These individuals clearly would benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, but unfortunately, there’s data that really suggests that there are other groups that would really benefit from COVID-19 vaccination as well, and they were not included in that recommendation,” he said.

A Center for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) is scheduled to meet Sept. 18. This follows Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s June 18 firing of all 17 committee members. The panel meets roughly three times a year to review scientific data and vote on vaccine recommendations, per the CDC’s website.

On Sept. 4, the state Department of Health issued a standing order that authorizes qualified health care providers to vaccinate people six months and older in line with DOH recommendations, per agency documents.

Vaccination decisions are informed by the state Vaccine Advisory Committee, Duber said.

Last year, during the 2024-2025 season, 18.9% of Kitsap County residents received at least one COVID-19 dose, per the state DOH respiratory illness data dashboard.

A spokesperson for Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid provider, said no changes to COVID-19 vaccination coverage have occurred as of Sept 2.

KPHD boardmember and Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson shared some of her concerns around vaccination rates.

“A lot of people in the general public lost trust in basic medical care and specifically in public health guidance, and it’s going to take some time to regain that trust,” she said.

Erickson said she supports people getting vaccinated and would like to see financial support for people to be able to seek vaccinations. “It’s going to take some time for people to understand that this still really is an issue, that they really do need to get vaccinated,” she said.

Duber discussed some of the broader public health concerns he has regarding uncertainty of future CDC decision-making.

“There was an editorial that was published by former CDC directors, both Republican and Democrat, who served in every administration since (Jimmy) Carter, and they were very forceful in stating that what is happening at the CDC is a travesty and is likely to set us back decades if we do not change course,” he said.

Duber said he intends for KPHD and DOH to continue to have ongoing discussions about vaccination efforts.

“It’s really important that we understand that the virus has changed significantly. Its virulence is not as significant as it was previously, but it’s not gone. It still causes severe illness that is a significant risk of mortality, and we’re seeing it as an impact on our healthcare system,” he said.

KPHD reported 78 COVID-19-associated emergency department visits between Aug. 1 and Aug. 25, and fewer than 10 influenza-associated ED visits for the same time period. The district reported no COVID-19 deaths since May and no flu-related deaths since April, community health director Lynn Pittsinger said.

“I do worry there’s a lot more we need to learn about the virus. We don’t understand the seasonal pattern,” Duber said. “Still, it is confusing. Why is this not following the same pattern that we see for flu and RSV, but we are still seeing morbidity and mortality related to this, and we need to make sure that our best defense, which at this point is vaccination, is available.”

Duber said the conversation around vaccinations is an ongoing discussion between local and state health officials, and stressed the importance of keeping a data-informed and population-focused approach.

“I want to recognize that, hopefully, regardless of one’s political affiliation, we all want the same thing. We want our children to be happy, healthy, and we want them to thrive,” he said.

Boardmember Dr. Michael Watson, a family medicine physician with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, stressed the importance of vaccination.

“Politics aside, I think everyone should fight for immunization and vaccination support, because once you start down the slippery slope of removing vaccination recommendations, it doesn’t take long before you start removing other recommendations if they aren’t supported by the powers that be.”