Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has added five new members to a scientific advisory committee that recommends which vaccines Americans should take and when, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday.

The announcement came three days before the panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, was scheduled to meet. The members are expected to decide on guidelines for important vaccines, including the shots for COVID-19 and hepatitis B.

Insurance companies and government programs such as Medicaid will be required to cover the vaccinations they recommend.

“ACIP safeguards the health of Americans by issuing objective, evidence-based vaccine recommendations,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Its new members bring diverse expertise that strengthens the

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