Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday announced Illinois would move toward enacting its own guidelines on vaccines, following the federal government’s decision to limit COVID-19 vaccine use for many U.S. citizens and the Trump’s administration’s emerging vaccine skepticism.

The Illinois Department of Public Health, with the authority of the state Immunization Advisory Committee, will put forward vaccine requirements and guidance “where federal actions fail to protect the public health,” an executive order signed by the governor said.

“When the federal government abandons its responsibility, Illinois will step up. We will follow the science, listen to medical experts, and do everything in our power to enable families to receive the care they need,” Pritzker said in a statement announcing the order.

The state advisory committee is expected to meet Sept. 22, and IDPH will issue fall guidance based on the committee’s recommendations by Sept. 26, according to the governor’s office.

The state order directs IDPH to authorize providers to administer vaccines in line with the new expected state guidelines, but does not appear to fully address the issue of costs for shots potentially rising for some people because of recent federal actions.

Recent federal moves led by the White House and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. include narrowing COVID-19 vaccine use for younger adults and children, and firing leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and all members of a key federal vaccine advisory committee — alarming many public health experts.

Illinois’ order follows several moves in other states run by Democrats or a mixture of Democrats and Republicans to take control of vaccine guidelines in the face of changing federal leadership. The Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon and California, for instance, announced earlier this month that they would together establish their own vaccine recommendations to rebuke President Donald Trump’s administration.

Pritzker’s order specifically calls for IDPH to “coordinate additional vaccine planning, financing, supply, and access.”

Kennedy has previously said COVID shots will still be “available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.”

“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” Kennedy wrote on social media after the FDA released its updated COVID vaccine approvals.

Still, some people seeking the shot are likely to confront new logistical or cost hurdles based on actions from the Trump administration.

Pritzker’s order calls for the Department of Insurance to require health insurance plans regulated by the state to continue covering vaccines based on the upcoming recommendations, “including where such recommendations extend beyond” federal standards.

That part of the order may not cover all Illinoisans, however, as insurance plans offered by many large employers are regulated by the federal government, not the state.

Chicago Tribune’s Lisa Schencker and The Associated Press contributed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/12/illinois-vaccine-guidelines-coming-federal-changes/